Black and Blue
by Finnian4ever
Summary: All Klaus wants is for Leo to keep himself safe.
1. Chapter 1

If you'd like to listen to this story, there are two podfic versions available. Sorry about the formatting; just smoosh it all together when you type it into the search bar. ff . net won't allow authors to insert direct links, if you even try it will delete it.

Male Narrator (current version of story, after editing): 

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: / / archive of our own works . 24291739

Female Narrator (older version of this story):

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: / / archive of our own works . 22633825 / chapters / 54092950

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Leo sighed heavily as he parked his motor scooter in the garage of the mansion. He released the chin strap on his helmet and pulled it off with a gruff sound of impatience, before hanging it on the handlebars. His steps were hurried as he headed for the back entrance, though he felt like each one cost him a bit of energy. Leo unlocked the door with his key and entered the kitchen, being sure to relock the door at once. He found Brickley, Klaus' cook and housekeeper, at the sink washing dishes.

Brickley turned his pink-and-blue blue humanoid face to smile at Leo. One of the two trunk-like appendages beneath his chin lifted to give a wave of greeting, since his hands were submerged in the dishwater. The male creature had become one of Leo's good friends after he'd moved in with Klaus, though he'd been uneasy with the idea of a housekeeper at first. Brickley was nearly ten years Leo's senior, but he had a youthful wit and charm that made him easy to get along with. He also cooked all of the meals that Leo and Klaus ate at the mansion, which was a huge point in his favor. It was difficult not to befriend someone who always smiled, joked, and served delicious food, while also keeping the house in perfect order.

"Welcome back, Leo! I saved some dinner for you. It's in the fridge."

"Thanks, Brickley, I'm starving."

Leo went to the fridge and pulled out a plate of food with plastic wrap over it, plunking it down gracelessly on the kitchen table. He plucked out a fork, tore off the covering, and sat down to dig right in.

"That's supposed to be heated up again!" Brickley gently rebuked, when he glanced over his shoulder and caught Leo in the act.

"It's white-sauce pasta." Leo said, through a mouthful. "It's delicious, hot or cold. Besides, I want to eat fast so I can see Klaus."

Brickley hummed, and a trunk rubbed at one temple on his hairless head.

"You might be out of luck there, I'm afraid; Mr. Reinherz retired early, right after dinner."

Leo paused and looked up at that, feeling his heart sink.

"You just mean...that he 'retired' to the library or something, right?"

"No, he said he would be going straight to bed."

The pace of his eating slowed to a halt, and Leo's shoulders slumped forward defeatedly.

"Oh...well...I guess he's had a long day..."

The obvious disappointment in his tone and bearing made Brickley shake his head empathetically.

"Humanity is worth it, Leo." He said softly.

Leo stabbed a forkful of penne with more aggression than was necessary, frustration rising in his features. His voice came out low and bitter,

"Sometimes I want to say 'screw humanity', I want my boyfriend to myself for a while! Drug lords and crime bosses have had more access to Klaus than I have lately..."

Brickley shrugged.

"Your schedules will sync up again eventually." He encouraged. "But this week really has seemed like it's conspired to keep you two apart, huh?"

"Yeah, we've been working, eating, and sleeping." Leo mourned. "We barely have time to say 'good morning' and 'good night' to each other, and work has been so crazy we haven't even had a minute alone there either. The criminal elites of this city are working overtime recently, so we have to keep up."

Brickley didn't respond this time, understanding that Leo was upset and just needed to vent. Given the space to do so, Leo went on,

"It's funny; I've been told before that I'm selfless, but if anything has taught me that I'm not, it's this past week. All I want to do is sit down to dinner with my Klaus, have a nice conversation, maybe go on a date…hell, I'd be thrilled with pj's, ice cream, and a bad movie, just _something_! Then I feel stupid because we chose each other; we knew that our relationship would be hard because we're Libra, and here I am, complaining at the first sign of difficulty. Some boyfriend I am…"

Leo trailed off into silence then, reaching the end of his dinner and standing up to take the plate to Brickley.

"Sorry to add to the workload." Leo said sheepishly, sliding the plate and fork into the sudsy water. "And for the pity-party."

"I only have silverware left before I go home." Brickley told him. "One more plate won't delay me. And for your information, Leo, you are a wonderful boyfriend. It's alright to get upset, you know; it shows how much you care about Mr. Reinherz. Just keep sticking by him."

"As if I'd do anything else; I love the big guy too much."

"That's the spirit!" Brickley chirped, smiling. "Go and get some rest, ok?"

Leo gave him a tired nod, and then went to take his advice.

Placated slightly by a full belly, Leo climbed the stairs to the second floor, and went into his room to shower and dress in his night clothes. Clean and exhausted, he then opened the door that joined his personal room to the one he shared with Klaus. Inside, the fire flickered beautiful reds and golds over the walls. Since living here, Leo had had to adjust to the light of a fire dancing against his closed eyelids while he tried to fall asleep, but overall it was wonderfully cozy in these colder months. When Leo entered the room, he was cautiously quiet until he spotted the still, giant shape beneath the covers of the bed. Klaus' red hair lay unruly and stark on the white pillow that supported his large head, and one muscled arm lay out along his bare side. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was deep and steady.

Leo quashed the rising ache of disappointment again, having clung to the hope that Klaus might still be awake. He carefully slid into bed on his own side, pulling the covers to his chest and relaxing into the softness of the expensive mattress and pillows. Barely a minute passed before Klaus stirred next to him, as if instinct had alerted him to Leo's presence. Green eyes flicked open, blinking tiredly but growing a little more alive when they saw Leo looking back at him. Klaus smiled softly and shifted closer, reaching up to brush large fingers down Leo's face.

"I missed you today." Leo muttered, as Klaus hooked his chin and gave him a few chaste kisses.

"I missed you, too, sweetheart." Klaus sighed, fingers drifting up into the longer curls at the base of Leo's neck. "The days when you work your other job seem so much longer..."

"I know, but the money's just too good."

The bigger man grunted in displeasure, frowning slightly.

They'd gone back and forth numerous times about Leo quitting his delivery job. Living with Klaus had erased the burden of rent, but Leo only viewed the extra cash as more money for Michella, and continued working. Few topics of disagreement had arose between them since they'd grown so close, but this one was at the top of the list.

"Hey," Leo said, as a way to avoid the subject, "you're tired. Don't let me keep you awake."

Klaus responded to that by making a contemptuous sound and pressing lazy kisses into Leo's chin and neck. A subtle heat of arousal rippled through him. It never took much for Klaus to excite him, but he was especially sensitive right now. Between all their work, necessity of sleep, and differing schedules, abstinence had been thrust upon them for more than a week.

"C-come on, Klaus, cut it out..." Leo moaned, when a hot mouth latched to his neck. "D-don't start something you...can't finish..."

"But you feel so good," Klaus nearly slurred, "and it's been so long..."

"You're half-asleep, dumbass!" Leo protested weakly, as Klaus' hand began stroking down the backs of his shoulders, setting his skin jumping with sensation under his thin shirt.

"Which means I'm still half- _awake_." Klaus parried.

Klaus was irresistible to him in any instance, but Leo did have a fondness for Klaus when he was tired and eager like this. He was simply too adorable and puppy-doggish with his huge paws and quiet, begging whimpers. Leo wanted it, too...he really did. He answered Klaus' advances by fitting his body in closer, sliding his arm and leg around him.

"You'd better not fall asleep on me after pulling this..." Leo mumbled, before Klaus began kissing him.

It was languid, slow burning, and not what Leo would prefer, but it was what they could manage right now. The longer they kissed, the quicker their hearts beat, the less gentle it all became. Lips became rougher, the space between their fitted hips became full and hard against each other, throbbing need into each other's flesh through layers of clothing. Their hands finally gained enough strength to roam, Leo rubbing his palm over Klaus' firm chest, Klaus gripping at his hip.

"Am I awake enough for you now?" Klaus teased a while later, when he had Leo panting and rutting slowly against him. Leo didn't respond with anything but a roll of his eyes and a needy little sound. Klaus then moved suddenly, tipping onto his back and pulling Leo roughly atop him.

At the spontaneous movement, Leo let out a sharp, unmistakable cry of pain, body going rigid in Klaus' hold.

The bigger man froze at once, arms going slack. Leo bit his lip too late, as if to take back the sound. A few beats of silence fell, and then Klaus carefully pushed Leo back by his shoulders, and sat up to face him. Without a word, large hands grasped at the hem of Leo's thin sleep shirt.

"Don't..."

Klaus only pinned Leo with an intense stare at the quiet plea. After a few seconds, Leo timidly released his shirt, and let Klaus pull it over his head. A small breath left Klaus, his expression hardening.

An ugly, blotchy line of purple bruises trailed up the smooth white flesh of Leo's torso.

Klaus used his height to curl over Leo and look at his back. A similar pattern lay there as well, sparsely scattered over his shoulders and waist.

"These are fresh."

Broad fingertips gently ran over the tender areas of bruising on Leo's chest. Leo couldn't help but shiver and wince at the delicate touches, avoiding Klaus' eyes. He'd been worried about how Klaus would react if he discovered his injuries. It had been the only possible downside to finally making love again, since Leo knew he couldn't hide them.

He'd learned this all too well.

It was not uncommon for Leo to take the occasional beating, with varying degrees of severity. For better or worse, he'd just accepted it as an inevitable, dark reality of living in Hellsalem's Lot. His team members barely commented anymore when he showed up at the office with a black eye or a bandaged limb. In the scope of things, Libra work put him in the hospital far more frequently than anything he suffered at the hands of thieves. So the others did no more than throw out benign words of sympathy, if that, treating what happened to Leo on the streets as his own business.

Then he'd begun dating Klaus.

Since then, Leo being beaten and robbed so regularly had become a source of conflict between them. Klaus revealed that it had never sat well with him, and he'd become very vocal on the importance of self-defense. Leo had always managed to wiggle his way out of the conversation. The more time went on, however, they both discovered that his injuries interfered with their relationship in the physical sense as well as the emotional. Leo simply couldn't be handled in bed like they both wanted, when his body hurt so much. He couldn't ignore that it had become a consistent problem.

And now that problem struck in the middle of a frustrating dry spell for both of them, compounding into a heavy weight that strained them both.

Klaus seemed to be thinking very carefully about what to say for the next moment, while Leo just sat there on his knees, already feeling his nerves buzzing fearfully.

"Did I hurt you very badly?" Klaus asked softly, still stroking very light circles over Leo's chest.

"N-not that bad," Leo lied, "I just wasn't ready for your fingers to dig into me like that. Besides that I'm fine, really."

A short puff of air came from Klaus' nostrils at the words, almost like an angered bull. That gave Leo the distinct impression that this conversation was going to be anything but short and tidy. It was late, and they were both tired, but there would be no escaping this issue any longer. He could feel it in his bones.

"How did it happen this time?"

"I got jumped on my way home last night." Leo explained quietly. "In the alley behind the pizza parlor. I hadn't made it to my scooter yet."

Klaus' hands began to tremble slightly. Leo could practically feel the tension screaming through him in his struggle to remain calm. In a weak attempt to soothe his lover, he rubbed a hand along his arm.

"Did they take anything?"

"Just some pocket change."

Klaus' breathing became audible at that, and Leo glanced up to see his expression grow fierce. The knuckles on his free hand cracked as he made a fist. It startled Leo; Klaus had a habit of doing that only when he was filled with vengeful anger strong enough to make him lose his composure. Cases involving especially evasive or smug criminals normally triggered it, but this time...

"Pocket change…" Klaus said, his voice wavering. "They did this to you...for _pocket change_?"

Leo had only seen Klaus get this upset a few times before, and the force of his wrath usually hindered his ability to speak altogether. It was more unsettling to hear him force words out than if he'd sat there silently. And his eyes...when they turned on Leo's face, they nearly burned him with the heat of their fury. Leo flinched back from Klaus, snatching up his shirt and pulling it on once more.

"They were just some punks. It's not a big deal." He said, turning away and hanging his feet over the side of the bed.

There was a markedly uncomfortable silence after these words, before the mattress shifted, and Klaus' heavy footsteps came around the bed toward Leo. He tried not to coil in on himself as the bigger man stood in front of him.

"This can't go on." Klaus stated firmly. "I've seen you suffer enough at the hands of fate. I can't bear watching you allowing your own pain as well. You must put an end to this; you have the power."

Klaus was wise enough to know not to touch Leo, but the enormity of his presence looming over him, conveyed his seriousness. The smaller man seemed to shrink even more.

"It's not that easy!" Leo gritted out. "I…I can't just…use my eyes for myself. It feels wrong… It's not worth abusing their power just to save myself some bumps and bruises."

The frustrated huff that left Klaus ended in something like a growl, and Leo wrung his cold hands a little, not wanting to see the expression on Klaus' face. His tone was unlike anything that Leo had heard from him before; bitter and grating as though he was trying hard to soften his words but they were so sharp that they cut on the way out.

"Your excuses are poor, Leonardo. Misusing your power and preserving your wellbeing are a far cry from each other. I know you're a passivist, which makes it even more infuriating! You, more than any of us, have an ability that can exempt you from violence. Just a flick of your eyes, and you could move your attackers aside to run; no punches from either side, just a clean escape. Why is that so difficult?"

"I don't know!" Leo retored, tightly. "It just doesn't seem worth it! Would you use your Blood Brain Grid Battle Technique just to take out some trash? It's like throwing pearls to swine!"

"That's entirely the wrong metaphor and you know it. But you're damned right I'd throw pearls to swine if pearls were my only defense and the swine could severely injure me!"

Leo rarely heard Klaus swear, and it surprised him enough to make him look up at the man's face. His lover was frowning, a very intimidating sight for a man with fangs, and Klaus had the ability to look terrifying just doing something mundane like staring into space.

"I'm made of tougher stuff than you think!" Leo insisted, stubbornly. "I haven't died yet, have I? Sometimes it's better to endure a bit of pain rather than taking away someone's free will; in my opinion that's something the criminals do! I can take care of myself just fine!"

"Is that why you came home to me with a choke-bruise and barely a voice two months ago?" Klaus demanded. "Because you can take care of yourself? That's why all the bruises? The missing tooth and swollen jaw for days? The slice marks from knives? Or the-."

"I get it!" Snapped Leo. "And none of that was life-threatening!"

"It pained me just as much as it did you." Klaus said, sincerity underlying his angry words. They sounded as if he'd been storing them up for months, and now they flooded from him without any regard for how they might come across. "It sickens me to watch this happen over, and over! Why do you keep putting us through this, Leo? Why would you make me think that one of these days some overenthusiastic thief will go too far and kill you? What about Michella? Have you ever thought about her when you're cornered and alone? Would you have her suffer the loss of her brother because you just rolled over and let it happen?"

Leo's eyes glinted with cold blue light as he shot up off the bed, actually making Klaus withdraw a few steps at the furious expression on his face. His hands were balled into fists at his sides.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me about Michella."

Klaus had the wherewithall to turn away from the threat in Leo's entire bearing.

Running fingers through his hair in frustration, Klaus stalked toward the opposite wall. He took a few calming breaths, and his huge frame was outlined by the fireplace as he leaned over it with both hands on the mantle. Any other time, Leo might have been turned on by the display of muscles that position created. Right now, any ounce of attraction to his lover was shred to pieces.

When a few moments of silent fuming had passed, Leo gulped down all manner of petty words, and tried for a logical comparison.

"You can accuse me of being foolish all you want," He said evenly, "but I happen to know that _you_ take on more than your share of dangerous situations at personal risk, too. I don't think you should be throwing stones."

"I always use my gifts to defend myself when I must." Klaus pointed out ruthlessly. "You don't, unless it's during a team operation."

Leo opened his mouth at once, but realized that anything he was going to say had already been said. So he closed his lips, and tried to organize his thoughts calmly, easing himself down. He suddenly felt very tired.

"We're just going around in circles here."

Instead of answering, Klaus gave what could've been a huff of joyless laughter. Leo sighed, and decided to try to man up. He hated this. Hated feeling so completely terrible with the one person he loved more than anyone. All he wanted was to resolve this conflict and be able to enjoy Klaus' company again. Snuggle up beside him in their bed and sleep.

Cautiously, he'd learned his lesson about sneaking up on Klaus, Leo walked up behind him and placed his hands on that broad back. Klaus was a wall of tension and quivered slightly at the touch. Leo leaned his curly head against Klaus' spine and let out a little breath against his skin.

"I hate fighting about this." He said, trying to sound vulnerable and soft. "I'm sorry I make you worry. You make me worry sometimes, too. You still challenge that mob boss for info occasionally, with your life as collateral; don't think I've forgotten about that. But I trust you to know what's best. Can't...you trust me a little too?"

Another quiet sound left Klaus, and he softened just a bit under Leo's embrace.

"That is different, though you're not wrong." Klaus admitted quietly. "But I have the skill set to deal with that kind of challenge. You don't even know how to fight."

Leo didn't bother arguing on that point. Instead he tightened his arms around Klaus and shook his head against his back.

"If you don't want to use your eyes, then why don't you let me teach you some basic defensive moves? Just so I know you'll have them."

This topic had come up at least once before, but so had the roadblocks.

"When would we have time?" Leo asked, doing his very best not to sound like he was deliberately being contrary. "We barely have time to say more than ten words to each other lately, when would you suggest we start a routine training regimen?"

"We could perhaps practice at the office..." Klaus suggested, a barely-noticeable hint of desperation in his voice. "We can work something out."

When Leo didn't respond, Klaus turned to face him. His large body hunched as he cupped Leo's shoulders, pleading without words for a few long seconds as Leo studied his forlorn expression. When he did speak, his voice was still quiet, but heavy with an undertone that thrummed with his earnestness.

"If you can't commit to learning self-defense, and you won't even carry a weapon, there's only one option left, Leo. I don't care if you think you've already made up your mind about this. I need you to reconsider...for me if not yourself."

"I can…try…" Leo said, not meeting Klaus' eyes. "I…I don't know if I can just start using my eyes on people, even if they threaten me…so…all I can say is that I'll try..?"

Klaus made it clear with the small grunt he gave, that he was not satisfied with Leo's answer. Normally, Leo was willing to dedicate himself entirely to any grievous task. Even when he couldn't, he strove to give his best attempt. This promise felt weak, to both of them. Klaus stepped away from Leo, looking awkwardly upset hovering between the fireplace and the bed.

"I never thought I'd say this to you, Leo…but I don't know if that's good enough."

Leo swallowed roughly, and began digging his fingernails into his arms.

"What more do you want me to say?" Leo finally asked, tensely. Klaus met his eyes and answered at once,

"That you'll do whatever you can to keep yourself from harm."

Leo gave a frustrated, choking sound and shook his head sharply. His voice came out tight with anger and regret.

"I…I try…I really do…I run when I can, but…I hate it. When I run, I feel like such a coward…"

Klaus didn't miss a beat, clenching his fists and not turning toward Leo as he spoke,

"You may not run when you can help it, but lying there and taking it can be worse than cowardice."

Leo rocked back on his feet, as though Klaus had struck him. That one hurt. A lot.

Klaus had always, _always_ , gone out of his way to convince Leo that he was braver than even he knew. From their very first meeting, he'd planted a seed of hope in Leo. Ever since, Klaus had been working diligently to cultivate that seed. At every opportunity he had built Leo up, refuting his repeated assessment of himself as less than worthy or cowardly. Whenever self-doubt shriveled his confidence, Klaus was there to water him back up with encouragement and support. Every single time, from the beginning.

And now…Klaus had all but called Leo a coward to his face.

It was too much. Leo felt himself torn up by the root.

And so, he did something that he'd never thought he could; turned his back on Klaus, and left the room.

Leo closed the door with a little snap of dispelled air, and with trembling fingers he actually locked it for the first time since he'd moved in. He stood there facing the door in shock for a few seconds, contemplating what he'd just done. What must Klaus be thinking of him right now? Would he come after him? Leo felt his entire body shaking with the effort to stay still as he waited for something to happen, for the sound of heavy footsteps to fall at the other side of the door, maybe the sound of the handle being tried and found locked. But he could hear nothing through the heavy oak of the door.

Once he'd worked up the nerve to move, Leo backed away in the darkness toward his rarely-used bed. He threw himself atop the covers without a thought, curling up against the pillows and breathing harshly. The bedding felt cold. Leo already missed the fireplace in their bedroom.

Bits and pieces of their confrontation flew through his mind, getting tangled up and then separating again, muddling up and then coming into excruciating detail. Leo's heart was thudding quickly, reacting to the suddenness of it all. Klaus' words rang through his mind, and he cupped his head in his hands as though that would keep them from echoing inside it. He'd had no idea that Klaus had the capacity to hurt him this way. He knew in theory that those closest to him could wound him the deepest, yet he was still shocked by the realization of that truth.

Klaus had been his safe place since before they started dating. In the midst of this crazy city, when he was near Klaus, Leo knew that he had a valuable and strong protector. Once they had confessed their love, Leo had relied even more on the comfort and security he felt in Klaus' arms, in his home, under his protection in an entirely more intimate way.

Even now, in a very, very tiny and quiet part of his rampaging brain, he knew that Klaus hadn't _meant_ to do this to him, and would still be there to keep him safe. In contrast, he kept hearing the same sentiment Klaus had been expressing, over and over; that he needed to protect himself. Leo had often thought, despite how well he had managed so far, that he didn't know how long he would've lasted in this city if he hadn't found Libra and Klaus. They had given him an entirely new set of resources, friends, and support. Yet on the mean streets…they could only help him so much.

Leo didn't want to think about that right now. He didn't want to remember any part of what had just happened. Hot tears burned his eyes as he angrily tore the covers back and settled beneath them. Rational thought had no place with him at the moment. He only wanted to cry himself to sleep and hopefully forget everything.

Unfortunately, he was kept awake, tossing and turning, by the incessant dripping of his wounded heart.

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	2. Chapter 2

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The next few days were rough for both of them.

If Leo had thought not seeing each other had been bad, purposefully avoiding each other was even worse. It was apparent that neither of them would back down or bend in any way. The few times they crossed paths were awkward as hell. When they did have to talk, it was stiff and mechanical. On the third day since their disagreement, Leo came into the office later than Klaus, having been riding his motor scooter everywhere now instead of letting Gilbert drive him. He headed straight for the corner set of furniture, and plopped down on a couch that was facing away from Klaus' desk. Steven watched this, his eyes darting between Klaus and Leo, noticing the tension at once. It wasn't as though they were normally affixed to one another like glue, but the two lovers had shared a warm interaction on a near-daily basis with no effort to hide it. The contrast of silence between them and the physical distance they remained apart was obvious to anyone familiar with their usual behavior. With a small sigh, Steven got up from his own place at one of the computer tables and walked casually over to talk to the big man's desk.

"So, Klaus," Steven said lightly, "Leo didn't turn to look your way even once just now…"

The clacking from Klaus' typing became a touch more aggressive. Steven leaned his hip on the edge of the desk and took a sip from his coffee mug.

"I don't suppose there's trouble in paradise, is there? What happened, you accidentally roll over and squash the kid in your sleep or something?"

A very small snort ghosted from Klaus' nostrils, but he still said nothing.

"You don't have to tell me," Steven went on, "it's none of my business, but the two of you are putting out bad vibes strong enough to depress anyone who walks in here. Everyone's noticing it."

Green eyes flicked up from the computer screen, typing paused for a second as Klaus glanced around. The few Libra employees around the office did seem more subdued. Klaus let his eyes linger on the back of Leo's curly head, where it showed over the edge of the couch across the room, before snapping back to his work.

"You two had a fight, didn't you?"

Klaus began typing again, rapidly, and didn't answer. Steven let out a legitimately pained groan, rubbing the side of his head.

"That's just what we need right now; our leader and one of our best resources distracted and upset at each other. At least tell me there's a warm and fuzzy reconciliation on the horizon?"

"That depends." Klaus finally said. "It's in Leo's hands now. I've done all I can."

Steven studied his friend, taking another sip of coffee and contemplating.

"So, you've done _everything_ in your power to be sure that you understand where your partner stands, and how to compromise?"

"Everything." Klaus answered, his jaw squaring.

"Uh-huh…" Steven drawled dryly. Klaus must not have appreciated the tone. He didn't look at Steven, but he spoke firmly.

"In this argument, it is Leo who holds the key to resolution. It is out of my control whether or not he takes action."

At that moment, Leo stood and headed for the greenhouse door, most likely visit Zedd in his water tank. When he was gone, Steven pinned Klaus down with a no-nonsense stare.

"Ok, out with it. I know I said it's none of my business, but as your friend and a concerned co-worker, I think I deserve the right to know what's going on here."

Klaus sighed, and in concise sentences, explained the situation to Steven. The other man listened quietly, nodding his head along with Klaus' words until he was finished.

"I don't know what goes through his mind," Klaus said, irritation in his quiet voice, "there's humbleness, and then there's being foolhardy. I don't know what else I can do to ensure he keeps himself safe."

Steven pursed his lips as he considered all that he'd just been told.

"Playing devil's advocate here; Leo's done just fine surviving in this city without relying on his eyes for quite a while now. He's learned how to walk the streets and not lose all his money in the process. You know how he hides it around on him, right? They never make off with all of it, and most of the time he doesn't even get hurt. When he does, it's not like he gets beaten to a dangerous degree."

"He shouldn't be getting beaten at all!" Klaus growled. "While I admire how Leo has adapted to this city on his own, that doesn't excuse him from letting lowlifes hurt him. The tools are right there in his head, supernaturally given, and able to exclude him from any conflict. He has no excuse."

"I can see your point." Steven conceeded. "I have to wonder myself why he chooses to fight head-to-head whenever he can. Though, to be fair, you play sacrificial lamb or supernatural mediator a lot, too."

"Leo said something to that effect as well." Klaus remembered. "But there is a significant difference between our behaviors; I try to let even my reckless actions amount to something. I may gamble my life, but always with a greater goal, and confidence that I'll win. With Leo…if he has no way out, he thinks it better to be beaten and robbed, to no end whatsoever. He is defending _no on_ e when this happens. His suffering is meaningless."

"Maybe it's his pride? You know he doesn't come to any of us for help. Hell, it took dating you for months to soften him up enough just to take the pay raise that he was _owed_. Does seem strange that he's so humble and yet so proud at the same time, doesn't it?"

"Quite the conundrum." Agreed Klaus. "You see the predicament we're in."

"Why doesn't he just quit his part-time job? Then he'd have enough time to train up a bit so he'd at least have some fighting skills."

"I can't convince him to quit working. In his mind, it's just more money for Michella."

"Don't think she'd appreciate it if she knew how hard her brother was running himself into the ground." Steven muttered, swirling the rest of his coffee in his mug. "Did you think to mention that?"

Klaus pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I did...and I think it's the closest he's ever come to punching me in the face."

They sat in silence for a while, thinking through the problem together. Steven shifted against the desk, and Klaus tapped his thumbs together over his folded hands. Eventually Klaus spoke again.

"That was my own folly. I knew better, and I fear my anger only caused Leo to respond in kind. I just couldn't hide it from him any longer."

"Wait...you're the one who got angry first?" Steven asked, sitting up a little straighter on the desk. "As in _your_ version of angry?"

Klaus had the decency to look mildly ashamed, but his voice was cold as he answered,

"It was a fight, Steven. I hadn't planned on it, but at the time, when everything came boiling over, I just assumed Leo might be swayed if he saw what his choices were doing to me. I don't think there's anything else I can do."

"Bullshit."

The curse made Klaus look up at Steven, who was frowning but also looked exasperated.

"Pardon?" He asked, surprised at the reaction.

"Klaus, I can't speak for what other tactics you've used before, but letting Leo see your anger as a means to an end seems the dumbest option you could've picked! I mean, I understand; you lost it and decided to roll with it, but did you really think that Leo would respond to anger of all things? He's a pretty fragile guy emotionally, I don't care what front he puts up around all of us, you and I both know it's true, so you had to know how deeply that would hurt him. How'd he take that, by the way?"

The sarcasm in Steven's voice on the last question stung a little, and Klaus lowered his eyes.

"He walked out and closed the door on me."

Steven shook his head with a dark little smile.

"Poor kid…don't get me wrong, I can see both sides here, but…damn…I think you might've hurt him worse than the thugs ever could."

Klaus' head jerked up at that, his teeth bared in a small snarl.

"Now, wait just a minute-" His angry protest was cut off by Steven's calm voice.

"Leo's not free of guilt here either, but I honestly think you're the one who needs to make the first move here, and apologize."

The larger man steamed for a second or two more before relaxing back into his seat.

"I...know that I owe Leo that, at least. I said a few things I deeply regret. Though, it was only because I care for him so much, and he's driven me to such frustration by not caring about himself. How are we going to make any compromise work?"

"I'm the last person who should be handing out relationship advice," Steven said sardonically, "and I don't have any bright solutions in mind for you two, but I can say that you really need to talk this one out, say your apologies, and try to move on. Even if it means nothing changes apart from you two having had this experience. You might just have to accept that neither of you will have your own way."

"A dismal thought." Klaus grumbled. "All I want is to know Leo will come home to me, safe and unharmed, at the end of the day."

"Do you even remember where we live?" Steven jabbed lightly. "Any one of us could be killed in a freak accident at any second, despite our powers."

"Libra members' probability of dying as the result of an accident is incredibly low when compared to the average being without powers."

"Don't give me that statistical shit!" Steven said shortly. "You're missing the point here; both of you should just be happy you're alive and together. You can work everything else out after you acknowledge that fact. Living here, every day is a gift."

"Trust me, I know that, and I thought Leo did too. If being close to death so often hasn't driven that point home to him by now, I don't know what will."

Steven gave a heavy shrug and shook his head.

"Beats me. Looks like you both have your work cut out for you. At least tell me it's still worth it to you?"

The tension in Klaus' bearing didn't leave him, but his expression softened.

"As dreadful as it feels right now...he'll always be worth it."

A few pointed seconds of silence passed as Steven looked at him, before making a dismissive sound.

"Then that's what matters most."

)))(((

When Leo stepped into the greenhouse wing and shut the door behind him, he felt like he could breathe easier. It was like stepping into a different world from the office floor. The lush plant life filling the massive room gave off a fresh, organic scent into the slightly warm air. The tall glass windows on the far end let in plenty of light, but the canopy was so dense that it cast shade in places. Almost in the center of the room sat Zedd's giant cylindrical tank.

Zedd was floating at the very top when Leo approached, reading one of his plastic-encased books.

"Hey Zedd!" Leo called, so the fish man would hear him through the glass. "I'm about to go out and get lunch for everyone. You want anything?"

The white, pupil-less eyes looked up from his reading. He left his book and dove down to Leo's eye level, his voice distorted and somewhat muffled but still understandable when he spoke.

"I could go for a small order of fried rice, if you're going to the same place as last time."

"Sure am."

Leo pulled a tiny notebook from his pocket. He'd started carrying it when he'd first made a habit of going on food runs, and he wrote down Zedd's order first. While he did, Zedd came even closer to the glass, and placed his clawed hands against it. His feelers twitched a bit as he observed Leo.

"Still upset today, huh?"

Blue eyes looked up in surprise.

"What?"

"You've been looking very gloomy the last few days. I thought it was just from work, but it's been so persistent. Are you alright?"

He supposed he should've known Zedd was perceptive enough to realize something was off. It wasn't as though Leo had been stomping around and broadcasting his bad mood, but he hadn't been his normal, cheery self either.

"Would you believe me if I said everything was fine?" Leo asked, turning to lean back against the glass.

Zedd casually swam from one end of the tank to the other as he spoke, as though giving Leo space.

"I could pretend to, if that's what you want. But I'd be a poor friend if I didn't offer more than a charade."

Leo didn't answer right away, instead just listening to the tranquil hum of the tank, and the gentle sound of moving water. It always relaxed him. He'd had to explain to Zedd before how watching him swim seemed hypnotic, like a human-shaped angelfish that was calming to watch as it drifted through the water. While that had been an awkward conversation, the fish man had ended up flattered and happy to have such an effect. Today was an exception.

"Klaus and I had a fight." Leo finally said. "He doesn't like that I get beat up so much and won't use my eyes to keep it from happening. And all I want is to be able to sleep at night, knowing I haven't crossed a line by throwing my power around without just cause."

Zedd hummed, considering as he circled toward Leo again.

"Don't you use your eyes on Zapp all the time?"

Leo gave a little snort.

"Yeah, but he's an absolute ass, so he doesn't count."

"True, but if you'd argue he deserves it because he's done you a wrong, wouldn't criminals who threaten you be even more deserving?"

"God, you sound just like Klaus." Leo sighed, rubbing at his temples. "Just because someone robs me doesn't mean they're evil; plenty of good people are driven to petty crime out of desperation. I know that's not the norm with how many hardened thugs are out there, but still, who am I to play judge and jury with strangers?"

"So…your solution is to play victim regardless."

Leo's mouth twisted in frustration, but not at Zedd himself.

"What choice do I have? I'd rather suffer a bit than feel like I've imposed my will over someone else's. That just feels…scummy."

"I can understand that." Zedd conceded. "Zapp and I wield the same Blood Technique, but I don't go about extorting people, or use my blood to play games on my phone when my fingers are too lazy."

"Isn't that just the worst?" Leo asked, smiling mildly.

"Just so. Your case isn't quite the same. You'd be doing no more than elaborately distracting people; it's not like you'd be hurting them. You use your eyes for Libra regularly anyway."

With a grunt, Leo slipped down to sit on the floor, turning around to look up at Zedd.

"I always know it's the right thing to do, with Libra. We're keeping the peace, bringing justice to wrongdoers. Even if I can't fight very well, I won't back down if one comes up. But it's… it's different when I'm alone."

One of Zedd's webbed hands came up to cup his chin studiously. With his free arm he managed to roll gracefully through the water in a figure-eight.

"Do you really believe that? You sound conflicted."

Leo tilted his head back, staring up into the overhanging branches and giant green leaves of the various plants. When he spoke again, he sounded quiet and lost.

"I didn't use to be. Before Klaus and I got together it wasn't an issue. I never used to doubt my decisions when it came to my eyes."

"Now you have more than yourself to consider," Zedd said lightly, "that's the burden of loving someone, be they friend, family, or partner."

A bitter chuckle left Leo, and he nodded.

"I've always tried to keep everyone from worrying about me, but I've never been in this kind of position before. I can't hide anything from Klaus the way I could from my family or all of you. So now I have to…think about changing. No one likes that feeling."

"What's important is having the choice." Zedd said, softly, but with conviction. "You can choose to spare yourself pain by using your eyes, or to suffer without. Ultimately, it's in your hands. My own life would be quite different, had my master not given me a choice. Likely I would've been destroyed without being granted that option."

A twinge of guilt gnawed at Leo's insides. His own troubles seemed inconsequential compared to Zedd's past. At least he'd had a loving childhood and family. Zedd had been created solely as companionship for a wealthy, reclusive Intellectual. A vast education and intelligence meant little when he'd never seen the outside world. Still, Leo couldn't help but give a rough sigh and say,

"Klaus basically told me that my choice was wrong, and I needed to reconsider."

"Oh dear." Zedd said, drifting down to hover cross-legged with folded arms. "That's quite harsh, coming from The Chief…"

"Tell me about it."

"Would you like my honest opinion, as an observer?" Leo waved a hand encouragingly, so Zedd went on. "I think you're both right, and you're both wrong."

"How Zen of you…" Leo muttered, blandly. Zedd ignored the comment.

"It's unfair of you to expect your partner to just accept that you might be endangering yourself for no reason. Then again, you shouldn't be miserable all the time if you force yourself to go against your own morals. The bottom line is that you live in Hellsalem's Lot; you can't start splitting hairs."

A short sound of upset came from Leo, and he shook his head.

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"You're not going to like my answer, but you wanted honesty." Zedd said, a small smile forming. "I think it will all work out no matter what you choose."

Leo turned a flatly pessimistic expression toward the fish man.

"You can't expect _that_ to cheer me up."

"I'm not really trying to, I'm just giving my viewpoint; you and Klaus are two mature adults who care enough about each other to whether storms like this and make up eventually. You can't go on being angry forever. That's the reality."

"Sure doesn't feel that way right now." Grumbled Leo. "But I guess anything's possible with time."

"It's not just possible, Leo; it's inevitable. You two will figure something out."

"A lot of help you are." Leo said sarcastically as he got up from the floor. "But thanks for the sentiment. I'll bring your rice in a bit."

Zed flipped over to shoot toward the glass again.

"One last suggestion; as a mental exercise, why not think through how you'd try winning Klaus back. Even if it's uncomfortable, it might make everything easier when that time comes."

Leo scoffed.

"I'll leave the mental exercises to you, but thanks."

He gave a little wave before going back into the main office. Zedd's advise might have touched a nerve, but Leo still felt uplifted by the positive words. He knew in his heart that Zedd was right.

Notebook in hand, Loe began going person by person in the office, scribbling their orders. Besides Zedd, only two other members were there, so it made quick work. It was only after he saw that Steven and Klaus were both at the main desk that Leo realized he'd painted himself into a corner. He couldn't leave without asking them as well, and he'd somehow completely forgotten about that. There was no help for it now.

When Leo approached the desk, he tried not to look stiff and on guard.

"Going out for our lunch again, Leo?" Steven asked. "You know, we should pay you double for the amount of times you play delivery-boy for us."

"Oh no!" Leo said, waving his hands and giving an uncomfortable smile. "Please don't say that! I'm happy to do it; I make deliveries all around the city for my job, so it's no big deal for me at this point. Can I put you down for something?"

The dark-haired man gazed into his nearly-empty coffee cup.

"My breakfast was pretty slim. I could go for some actual food. You heading to a particular joint?"

"I was thinking that Asian place we ordered from a few weeks back. Everyone seemed to like their fried rice the best."

"Sounds like a plan. Klaus, you order first, I'm still deciding."

Klaus lifted his head from where he'd been shielding it behind his monitor. He and Leo's eyes danced around awkwardly, feeling like electricity when their gazes did brush incidentally. Eventually, Klaus cleared his throat and said,

"Just the beef teriyaki for me, thanks."

Leo felt a familiar pang of warmth in his chest. Klaus always ordered the same when it came to Asian food. He scribbled it anyway and quickly looked to Steven. The man sighed, looking like he was fighting the urge to roll his eyes at them.

"Shrimp for me, and a wonton soup. Thanks, Leo."

Leo nodded, wrote it down, then flipped the notebook closed. He was about to pocket it when he paused, pen hovering halfway in the air.

"Something wrong?" Steven asked, observing Leo's somewhat troubled expression.

"Um, it's just…Klaus, do you want soup too? You, uh, you usually get the egg drop, right?"

Klaus nodded a little too eagerly, as though thrilled Leo had spoken to him. Leo gave a shaky grin at the unexpected happiness he felt, and began backing away. His tone was a bit lighter, and he spoke in a rapid, nervous burst of words.

"Ok, good, great, I'll just be-."

He tripped over the coffee table behind him, his notebook and pen flying through the air as he stumbled to one side. Klaus' entire body stiffened, and he nearly bolted up to see if Leo needed help, but Leo recovered and laughed it off, snatching up his scattered things.

"Be back soon with all the food!" He called, shouldering his backpack and darting out of the room as quickly as he could without tripping over anything else.

In the silence left by Leo's awkward exit, Steven slapped his hand to his face and groaned.

"You two better sort yourselves out soon, Klaus; that was _painful_ to watch."

Klaus gave a massive sigh of agreement and leaned back in his chair.

"At least you exchanged words. That's something, isn't it?"

"It's the most courteous interaction we've had in the past three days." Klaus answered. "Mostly it's been silence or passive aggression until now."

Steven gulped down the dregs of his coffee and then shuddered.

"You? Passive aggressive? God help us…"

Despite everything, his friend's words made Klaus give a small smile.

)))((((

Leo's entire being was ringing with the aftermath of his embarrassing exit from the office.

What a fool he'd made of himself, like he was some nerve-rattled kid around his first crush, tripping over the table like that. Why had those few simple words made him so distracted and giddy? Perhaps because after these days of tension and ignoring each other's existence, civil speech was now the abnormality between them. That simple gesture had been meaningful, and as Leo took off down the crowded streets, he began actually hoping they could put this argument behind them. He had been too hurt and angry to do so until now.

Zedd's suggestion came to him, and he decided to take it, rehearsing in his mind how he would bring the subject up to Klaus again. Maybe this evening, when they were both at home. Perhaps he could go with the kicked puppy routine by climbing into bed with Klaus and cuddling up to him, without saying anything. Actions sometimes spoke louder than words when it came to Klaus, and Leo knew that the other man must be wanting this tension to end as much as he did. If he just pressed close and rested silently against him, it would be the most effective olive branch he could offer. Already Leo began to crave the warmth of Klaus' body, the sure safety of his strong arms. He had felt so cold sleeping alone these last few nights…

Leo conjured up more apology scenarios as he drove, most of them amounting to throwing himself on Klaus in some way, shape, or form. By the time he'd finally parked his scooter in the lot beside the restaurant, he thought it very likely he was just pent up and craving touch. He hadn't had the drive to even take care of himself since the fight, and it had been an entire week before that since he and Klaus had a second to enjoy each other. Possibly the needs of his body were weighing into his current temperament more than he'd been aware of before.

Chuckling to himself, Leo entertained a little fantasy of Klaus being so overcome with relief after their resolution, that he would treat him to a full night of strength displays and pleasures. It had been a while since Klaus had strapped him in place across his massive chest and let him struggle. Or hung him against the wall by his wrists with a single hand, letting his feet dangle or press into Klaus' iron-hard thighs…A pleasant shudder passed through Leo.

As vigilant as he usually was, this delicious mental image distracted him just enough to miss the few figures who were following him, just a step too closely.


	3. Chapter 3

))((

Klaus wasn't very aware of the passage of time when he was lost in a Prosfair game at his computer. He thought it would help soothe his nerves after Steven left him alone, and so far, it had done its job in thoroughly distracting him. So much so, that it was only by chance that he overheard the two analysts talking from nearly across the room. They were keeping their voices low, but it was quiet enough in the office that they were easy to overhear.

"Look, I'm starving, you want to just go grab something down the street?"

"But what if Leo's just held up in traffic? He's going through all the trouble of bringing us food, we should wait."

"If I wait any longer I might starve."

That made both Klaus and Steven perk up. Almost in unison, they looked toward the giant clock on the wall, and realized just how long it had been since Leo had left. To their horror, they realized it had been almost an hour and a half. In Hellsalem's Lot, a delay that long always spelled trouble. They locked eyes, wordlessly exchanging concerns. Steven immediately whipped out his phone and dialed Leo's number.

Silently, they both waited for the call to connect. But it never did.

"Keeps ringing, won't even go to voicemail." Steven declared, hanging up and trying once more. Same result.

Klaus stood up from his desk and headed over to Steven's side of the room. He didn't need to say anything; the scarred man was already clacking away at his own computer keyboard. They both watched the screen as a map of the city appeared, and the pulsing green dot that represented the tracker in Leo's phone blinked alive. It was stationary.

"That address belongs to the restaurant." Steven noted. "Looks like he's right beside it…or at least his phone is...and has been, for at least an hour..."

Klaus' knuckles cracked as he made a fist. Without another word, he turned and stalked toward the door, taking his fiery red aura with him. Gilbert, having heard the entire conversation, followed. Steven snatched his suit jacket from the back of his chair before darting after them both. The traffic seemed determined to stop them at every turn, in spite of Gilbert's expert driving. Steven kept trying to reach Leo on his phone with no luck. Klaus just sat in the back of the car, hands fisted over his knees, jaw clenched tight enough to hurt. When they were halfway to the location, Steven finally voiced their fears.

"This looks bad…I don't know what we're going to find when we get there. Let's hope Leo had the wits to keep himself alive, at least."

Klaus gazed out the window with eyes that saw nothing, trying to keep himself contained. Leo had been in danger like this before, but he had actually used his eyes and the rest of the team to get out of it. This was different. Something had happened that had rendered Leo unable to use his phone or escape. The various nasty possibilities of what might have happened to him in this city threatened to break Klaus down into a growling mess. He felt angry as well as worried to death. Though nothing had been confirmed, he already wanted to hunt down anyone who might have hurt Leo and repay them in kind. The urge was so unbearably strong that he felt his muscles quivering with the need to strike.

When they finally pulled up on the street beside the restaurant, both men shot out of the car at once. They broke into a near run on the street, dodging other pedestrians and trying not to bowl them over. They slowed their pace as they reached the alley, however, as neither of them were so concerned that they could rule out the possibility of this being a trap. Klaus thought with a pang of irony, that they really could use Leo's eyes to scan the surroundings right now. They made do with their mortal eyes, and didn't see anyone or anything lying in wait for them.

What they did see chilled their bones, and made the hairs stand up on Klaus' arms and the back of his neck.

Leo's phone lay abandoned, smashed at the base of one wall. Beside it, and surrounding it in an arc, were spatters of fresh blood. It was flung as far as the other end of the short alleyway, indicating the force of strong blows.

They were brought up short by the sight, but Steven recovered first. He knelt down to retrieve the phone, and examined the blood. There was a small pool of it between the wall and the middle of the alley. It clearly meant that someone had rested there and bled out over a period of time. The corner of the puddle was smeared.

"Not enough to suggest mortal injury." He said, trying to keep his voice calm for his friend. "Who knows, maybe it's from one of his attackers."

Klaus didn't say anything. Steven stood up and dialed the office.

"Hey, Kathryn, I need you to do me a favor; you and the others start calling all the hospitals within a five-mile radius from our current location. Find out if any of them have recently admitted someone meeting Leo's description. Call me with the results, as soon as you can."

Once he was sure that the operative understood, Steven hung up and dialed again. After a few rings, the recipient picked up and started talking.

"Can the sarcasm, Zapp," Steven barked almost at once, "Leo's gone missing and we need your help to try and find him. Looks like he got jumped outside the Asian place. I need you to get down here right away and start sweeping the area."

Klaus heard the shrieking bellow of Zapp's voice, unintelligible over the phone's speaker from so far away. With a few more barking orders, Steven hung up on the man, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Half the time I can't even remember why we keep him on our team!"

"Because he pulls through when we need him." Klaus said, surprising himself with how strongly he felt that conviction. "He's fearless to the point of cocky, and despite all his lip, he's never let any of us down."

"Well, hopefully that'll be true this time, too." Steven shook his head. "What do we do now, Klaus?"

The big man squared his shoulders, and turned his entire body toward the alleyway, and the walls bearing his lover's blood.

"We search high and low until we find my Leo, and the bastards who did this to him."

"Damn right." Agreed Steven. "Let's start by checking those security cameras from the restaurant, and the street cams as well; there's a few I can pick out just from standing on this spot, so they had to have caught something."

Fifteen minutes later they were back at the office, hovering over all of Steven's computers. After pinpointing which cameras and which footage archives he needed to access, the man easily pulled up several recordings.

"I'm starting all the footage at roughly ten minutes after Leo left this building. He should show up on one of them within five or so."

Klaus was too anxious to sit, so he was standing beside Steven, watching over his shoulder. Their eyes bounced back and forth between the dozen or more separate recordings from the various cameras, all showing full-on or partial angles of the restaurant, the parking lot behind it, and the alleyways all around. As they watched, their anticipation rose with each second that passed.

"There." Steven said, spotting the flash of Leo on his motor scooter in another window. Steven clacked at the screen, copying the recording.

One particular camera, focused on the parking lot, showed a clear image of Leo getting off his scooter and walking towards the restaurant. Klaus noted absently that it looked like he was smiling. Then he realized that someone had been trailing him; a vehicle pulled up in the spot just behind Leo, and three men got out. Two were humans, the third a big, multi-armed Alterworld creature. They closed in on Leo with astonishing speed, and Klaus' lip curled as he watched one of them raise a short club and bring it down on the back of Leo's head. As he reeled, they seized him from behind and dragged him back into the shelter of an alley. For a second, they lost sight of anything on a number of windows, but then Steven enlarged one that actually had a full-on view of the alley. Silently, helplessly, they watched the events that had transpired.

The thugs hadn't given Leo any time to defend himself. Blow after blow landed from huge fists, and the small frame was helpless to fight back between the rapid-fire attack. It didn't take long before he stopped moving. At that point, one of the men waved a hand at the other two, and they propped Leo up against the wall. They searched his pockets, and upon finding his phone, smashed it. Then the man who appeared to be the one in charge knelt down, and pulled Leo's head up from where it had been slumped on his chest. Leo gave no reaction, and his mouth hung open. Blood was pouring from his lips, down his chin in ugly rivers of crimson. The man used his other hand to pry open one of Leo's eyelids. Even on the grainy security footage, the blue gleam of Leo's eye shone like radiant blue fire.

"Shit…" Steven muttered.

Once the man had apparently confirmed that they had the right target, he pulled out a phone and made a call. It only took a moment, and then they were hauling Leo upright and stowing him away in their vehicle, before driving off.

"I've got the license plate. It's probably nonsense, but I can always check."

As Steven began clicking furiously through a database, Klaus stepped back and took a few deep breaths.

He closed his eyes, pulling up the faces and forms of the three guilty parties, etching them into his memory. License plate or no, he intended to find and dispose of them. In the meantime, he only had to hope that Leo was valuable to them alive. Though, the more he thought about it, he didn't know if that was better or worse. Leo's eyes were mysterious things; not entirely explainable by science, nor entirely deified by the religious. There might be a number of people who would want to study them, and their owner. Leo had, perhaps, become somewhat recognizable to those in the truly dangerous criminal classes. Only two years ago Klaus had to negotiate away a professional hit that had been put out on Leo. At that time, they'd assumed that someone had studied Libra's team as a whole, but perhaps the results of that investigation had reached beyond the person who wanted Leo dead. Someone who took a special interest in him beyond his threat to any hostile Blood Breeds and their schemes. Information was good currency in the underworld.

"Klaus," Steven's slightly high-toned voice reached his ears, "you're bleeding."

Klaus jolted back to reality, having been lost so deeply in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that he'd lifted a hand to his mouth. He hadn't even felt his fangs piercing his own skin as he bit down in anger, frustration, and concentration. Gazing down at the small puncture wound, and seeing his own blood seemed to bring some sense to his brain. At the same time that he thought it, Steven said it aloud for him

"Keep it together, Klaus. For Leo."

Klaus grunted, and nodded his head, immediately pulling a tissue off the desk and staunching his small wound. His thoughts were rarely derailed this much, but it had been all he could do to keep from hauling off and punching the wall. That would do nothing to help Leo. Klaus took a few more deep breaths through his nose, determined to focus.

For Leo.

))((

Pain registered to Leo before anything else. Pain that contradicted itself by numbing much of his body to the point where even thinking of moving was a monumental task. He felt the vibrations of something mechanical around him, and as his consciousness flickered back and forth, he realized he was in a vehicle. The rough carpet of the floor was abrasive to his swollen face.

Through the pounding of his head, he tried to listen and pick up on any clue as to where they were going or what they wanted with him. This hadn't been a random attack like all the countless times he'd been robbed on the street. This had been precise, strategic. They'd hit him hard and fast, and he hadn't had time to react even if he'd wanted to. So many of the thugs he'd encountered had enough of an ego to buy him some reaction time with their touch speeches. This had been different. They obviously wanted him for something. A ransom, perhaps? Or maybe they'd discovered his link to Libra and were trying to exploit that?

Leo's brain went watery as he tried to observe the surroundings with his other senses. Everything felt heavy and far away at the same time, making focusing difficult. Over time, he heard a few voices speaking, but he couldn't catch what they were saying over the hum of tires and the passing traffic on each side. It took several long minutes of cautious breathing and attention for him to make out a few words.

"Definitely thought this would be a lot harder than it was." One voice was saying. Another answered,

"For a kid with so much power, I did expect more of a fight."

"Didn't really give him time for that, did we?" The bass voice replied. "Boss' orders were right on the money; knock him out fast before he has a chance to run or fight back."

Leo felt the toe of a boot nudge his leg harshly.

"He doesn't look like he'd offer much of a challenge anyway. We wouldn't have had any problems."

A third voice called from a bit farther away, the driver perhaps.

"Hey, you two, don't let your chit-chat distract you from your jobs. One twitch, one inkling that he's coming to, and you put him down again."

There was an irritated grunt from what sounded like enormous nostrils and Leo felt the floor creak when someone shifted above him.

"We know our jobs, here, shut the hell up and drive!"

The driver didn't respond to that, and it went silent. Leo felt fear snake its way around his heart. He'd been in dangerous situations before, he'd even been captured by criminals more than once before. That didn't mean he wasn't frightened out of his mind when it happened. All he felt capable of was lying there and playing dead until he formed a plan.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just cut the eyes out of his head, if she wants them that badly?" The higher voice muttered quietly a handful of moments later. "Just seems a waste of manpower and drugs to keep him alive and unconscious."

The fear clamped down on Leo's heart where it had settled, and he had to focus to keep his breathing from going erratic at the words.

"Don't you have brains in your skull?" The bass voice condescended. "If he was conscious, he could use them, couldn't he? Then he could escape, no problem. She needs him quiet and compliant."

"That doesn't make sense. If she needs to study how he uses his power, why keep him from doing it?"

"None of our affair, why do you need to know?"

"Don't really, just curious."

The driver spoke up again, sounding firm and commanding.

"Curiosity in this line of work can get you killed, just stick to keeping your mouth shut and following orders. Easy road to profitability."

There were a few agreeing noises, and then the three men were quiet again, leaving Leo to hear nothing but the rushing blood in his ears and the rattling and shaking of the van. He was fighting very hard to keep calm, to think rationally. He'd picked up a lot on how to break down a situation as factually as he could, even under pressure, since he'd joined Libra. Through the screaming pain of his head, his limbs, and his torso especially, he forced himself to consider the upsides to this predicament. His advantages included waking up quietly, and in time to hear them discussing their plans; if he hadn't, then they might have drugged him like they'd said, and he never would have been aware again. He'd be a lab-rat for some criminal scientist out there, probably tampering in all kinds of illegal experiments. Leo had the sense that he'd avoided that fate by an inch, which was more than lucky. They also needed him alive, which meant his greatest immediate danger was being knocked out rather than killed. Whenever he made his move, he'd have to be deathly fast. They were keeping such close watch on him that his window for action was minuscule.

Lastly, Leo reflected on a truth he only fell back on in dire scenarios like this one; he was never completely powerless. While the inspirational thought gave him a sense of strength, reality reminded him of how this kind of situation normally ended. Severe injury. Every single time. Even with the use of his all-seeing-eyes, he'd always ended up badly hurt, and that was usually in spite of the rest of the team being there to assist. Whatever he did, he was not coming out of this unscathed. Inwardly, Leo chuckled to himself. He was already in so much pain that it barely mattered. He'd already been bruised up before this even happened.

That thought brought Klaus to mind; how would he react when he found out about this? Did he already know? If he did, he was probably worried sick and trying desperately to rescue Leo right now, setting the whole team on the case. Leo's heart twinged, loosening the fear's vice-grip as he felt perspectives lining up in his mind. If he'd had any idea that something like this was going to happen to him, he would've...

A surge of conviction overtook Leo so strongly that he couldn't think of anything else. Klaus. He wanted to get back to his Klaus. He needed to tell him...

In the literal blink of an eye, Leo's symbols shot out and sent blinding neon light exploding over the vision of the three men. There were pained cries of surprise and shock, and one of them even struck downwards blindly, punching the floor with a giant fist, missing Leo's head by a hair's breadth. As he recoiled, feeling every muscle scream in protest, Leo scrambling the men's vision with each other, quickly, before they could orient and try to beat him with their memory of where he was.

"What the hell?!" One of them shrieked.

"It's the kid! He's doing it!" The booming bass added to the fray, while another voice just wailed over and over. Some people took the shock of having their vision tapped worse than others, Leo had found.

Leo didn't have much time to decide what to do next, but from what he saw in the driver's vision, they were on the freeway, in the middle lane. Leo took control of the driver, and began making him steer sharply from side to side, trying to shake off all the surrounding cars. He hoped it would be enough to make them give the vehicle a wide berth. He heard the screech of scraping metal as some cars were too slow getting away, and collided with each other.

"Stop him! He's gonna kill us!" The driver yelled, trying to fight against the motions of his own hands on the steering wheel. Leo wouldn't let him.

The other two men stumbled around as the van continued to swerve, disoriented from the scrambling of their vision on top of it all. Leo himself scrambled to gain his footing, hunkering down behind the front seat. He winced as his head began to pound like a gong, and he felt his stomach threaten to empty itself with the pain and the motion of the van. He fought hard to keep himself together, but it was becoming difficult. The effort of controlling so much, while he was so injured, caused his eyes to overheat abnormally fast and start scalding the inside of his sockets.

Leo tried not to panic when steam began rolling out from under his eyelashes, condensing into hot rivulets that dripped down his cheeks. He needed an out, soon, or he'd pass out before he could manage to do more than inconvenience his kidnappers.

Then, like magic, Leo saw his opening to the right of the van, where the lane had cleared from the insane driving. He took his chance, braced himself, and turned the wheel sharply toward the cement divider in the middle of the freeway.

There was a screech, a horrifyingly slow moment or two before impact, and then the van smashed head-on into its target at top speed.

They were all thrown violently forwards, and Leo screamed as a heavy weight crashed against his bracing arm. There was a cracking sound, and a shock of pain so drastic that Leo's eyes blinked out. He only had a second or two to hear the squealing brakes of other cars and the tinkling of broken glass, before he was fading into darkness.

)))(((

The notion of remaining calm and rational proved to be difficult for Klaus to maintain, as the top Libra footmen did their searching to try and find where Leo had been taken. Steven was working hard to try and pull up enough security footage of the vehicle to follow its path, but that broke down once it reached a zone where there was no footage to be had. With much cursing, Steven began trying to pull up the next possible group of cameras.

Right as the language was becoming more constant for his fruitless efforts, Klaus' mobile rang. He glanced at the caller ID before immediately picking up. He hit the speakerphone button so that Steven could hear the conversation as well.

"Chain, any news?"

The woman's voice came onto the other end, sounding hopeful.

"Yes, Klaus, I think I may have found him."

Steven looked up from his tampering with the computer screens, and they both held each other's gazes in silent hope for a split second.

"Where?" Klaus asked, doing his best not to sound desperate, as if that would fool anyone.

"Someone matching his description was brought into St. Giles' ER about a half-hour ago. They didn't get a name, because he wasn't conscious, but they reported that he might have mechanical eyes on unknown origin, and there are burns around them."

"Sounds close enough for me." Steven said, and Klaus nodded. "Good work, Chain, we'll check it out."

"Thank you, Chain, if you hear anything more before we get there-."

Klaus' words were cut off by Steven's gasp. Klaus looked at him to see what had caused his reaction. The screen displaying several windows of security footage from the freeway, showed a violent crash. It was the vehicle from the earlier recordings. They both watched in horror from one window to the next as the van wobbled, grazing other cars for a moment or two before turning purposefully, and smashing into the concrete dividers. Klaus' eyes widened as he fixed on the scene.

"Was it a car crash?" He asked Chain softly. The woman paused for a second, checking her info.

"Yes, they dug him out of a pretty bad wreck, and an ambulance took him to St. Giles. He's been in surgery since they got him there."

Klaus closed his eyes slowly in fear at that news, and pressed his lips together for a second before managing to say,

"Thank you, Chain."

Without another word, Klaus hung up the phone, and immediately began striding toward the door for the second time that day. Steven followed right on his heels. The elevator ride down to ground level seemed agonizingly slow.

"They have him, at least." Steven said finally. "We know where he is. That's a relief."

"That crash was so very dangerous" Klaus said quietly, and actually lifted both huge hands to rub at his face. "It's no wonder he requires surgery…"

"They're probably patching him up better than he was before." Steven tried, attempting to focus Klaus on the positives. "Surgeons in Hellsalem's Lot might as well be miracle-workers, you know that."

When Klaus didn't reply, Steven gave up. It was no use trying to ease his worries with empty encouragements. Klaus wouldn't believe a single word of it until he'd seen Leo alive and breathing with his own eyes.

When they arrived at the hospital, they had to sit in the specified waiting area for nearly another hour. Steven did all the talking; he spoke with the nurses and received enough details to confirm that it was Leo that had been brought in. They were able to put his name on his file. Steven handled every other encounter for them both; with the front desk, with nurses, and when the time finally did come, with the surgeon as well. Steven stood up just as eagerly as Klaus when the man in blue scrubs came through the swinging doors, and made a straight path toward them.

"Mr. Reinherz?" The man asked, putting out his hand and waving it between them, as he didn't know which one of them he should be addressing. Klaus took his hand and shook it.

"How did it all go, doctor?" Steven asked, at the same time as Klaus spoke up for the first time since arriving, saying,

"How is he?"

The surgeon looked amused at their eagerness.

"Leonardo is going to be just fine." The man assured them with a warm smile. "He came through surgery like a champ; we put a stop to the internal hemorrhaging, treated the burns around his eyes, and micro-knit his broken arm back together. With the work we did, and the immune-boosting medication we're giving him, he should be out of here in a few days."

They both let out sighs of relief, and Klaus again clasped the surgeon's hand between both of his.

"Thank you, so much, doctor. Please, can we see him?"

"He's in recovery now. Once he starts to come out of it, they'll move him to his room, and then you can see him. I'll have one of the nurses take you there when he's settled."

With another round of 'thank you's', they were once more left to wait. Steven let out a sigh of relief, and watched his friend slump down beside him, most of the tension having gone out of his huge body. The dark-haired man chuckled a bit as his own release of tension.

"Leo's a tough one, huh?"

Klaus grunted, not even mustering up the energy to nod in agreement. Steven went on, a small, proud smile forming on his lips.

"Pretty badass, too; you _know_ he was the one who crashed that van, while he was still inside. Damn…didn't even slam on the brakes, just drove it into the wall!"

Klaus shook his head, eyes rolling to the ceiling.

"What was he thinking?" He muttered. "So reckless…"

"It might've been his only way out. Leo wouldn't do something like that unless he didn't have a choice."

Klaus said nothing more, and they sat in a more relaxed silence than before, just waiting for the call. Barely ten minutes later, a nurse came over to them and let them know that Leo had come around and was in his room now.

"He's still not very coherent," she told them both, "he's in and out, but he woke up enough for us to move him to a room. I'll show you the way, if you'll follow me."

When they stood up, Steven hung back a few steps.

"You go on and sit with him." He insisted, when Klaus looked at him questioningly. "I'm glad to hear that he's alright, but I have to head back to the office and do some digging on these fugitives. I hear they were taken to a different facility. When Leo wakes up, say hello for me, ok?"

Klaus studied him, and an understanding passed between them in the silence. The determination to make the criminals regret their actions had not left either of them, but Klaus' had been tempered by his desire to be there for Leo instead. Steven, however, had the clear mind and resources to punish the guilty for them both. Leo's suffering would be repaid.

Klaus reached out and gripped Steven's shoulder.

"Thank you, Steven." He said quietly.

The dark-haired man nodded, and then left Klaus to reunite with Leo alone.

Once he was shown to the doorway of Leo's room, Klaus entered and approached the bed very slowly so as to not disturb Leo. When he passed the curtain and finally saw Leo lying in the hospital bed, his throat tightened.

Through the gaps in the hospital gown, Klaus could see the wrappings over his ribs and shoulder. One of his arms was in a cast, and the knuckles of his other hand were wrapped as well. The thin blanket concealed his lower half, leaving any other potential injuries to Klaus' imagination. But his face…one half of it was completely covered by bandages, only one of his eyes visible along with his nose and mouth. There were three stitches in his bottom lip where it had split open, and the skin around it was ugly red and purple. On his visible cheekbone, there was a darkening bruise with a cut running through it, though it hadn't been bad enough to need stitching.

Klaus absorbed the sight, aching for the pain Leo had gone through, but unable to suppress the intense relief that flooded him, and he sank into the chair at the bedside. It was surprisingly comfortable, and he intended to sit there for as long as he needed to, watching over Leo. As he studied him, moment after moment, he listened to Leo's deep, steady breathing. In, and out, without fail, calming Klaus down the longer he heard it.

Once he began to accept the truth that Leo was out of danger, Klaus began to relax more fully. He lost track of time entirely as he sat there, watching Leo, even with a clock ticking softly on the opposite wall. A nurse came back in to check on his vitals at one point, assuring Klaus that everything was fine and Leo was recovering well. She also brought a pitcher of ice water and two cups for them to use. Once the nurse left and all was quiet again, Klaus heard a change in Leo's breathing. It fluttered for a moment, before speeding up a little. Leo began to mumble quietly.

Klaus sat up straighter in his chair at the sound, and leaned in to try and catch the words. But they were nonsensical, and didn't last very long, dying away into silence after a handful of seconds. Klaus sighed gently, and very cautiously reached out to cup Leo's bandaged hand in his own, cradling it on the bed. He let his other hand very softly brush up and down Leo's bare arm, only avoiding the bruise at his shoulder. He was afraid of hurting him accidentally, but couldn't keep his hands off of him, needing to confirm with touch that Leo was there with him, whole.

As he rubbed his thumb across the heel of Leo's hand, his bandaged fingers twitched.

Klaus looked up, and saw Leo's eyelid flutter. He held his breath, and the next second a sliver of bright blue appeared.

His Leo was finally back with him.

))((


	4. Chapter 4

))((

Light seemed to fade in and out of a blurry haze, and Leo felt the weight of his body calling him back to earth. He didn't feel any pain, but something about the heaviness of his limbs and chest told him that he was still injured. As his consciousness slowly returned, he became aware of lying in a bed. The more he focused on his surroundings, the more he noticed the light pressure of bandages on his arm, torso, and over his face. He realized fuzzily, that his right eye was completely covered.

In a mild rush, he remembered what had happened. He'd been attacked, beaten, kidnapped, and then…

Leo felt a surge of panic as he remembered crashing the van out of desperation, and he worked to come up entirely into full wakefulness. Leo struggled to lift his left eyelid, which took much more effort than he'd thought it would. Light swam before him, soft and clean. His focus was razor sharp in spite of his mind being in shambles, and the first thing he focused on was…

"Klaus…"

Leo's voice came out weak and raspy, but he had to speak his lover's name the second he saw him hovering overhead. In the same instant, he became aware of the warmth of Klaus' big hand covering his own. He wrapped his fingers gently around it, and attempted a grin. Something pulled at his bottom lip, making the gesture difficult. Leo had sustained enough blows to the face in his time here to know that he must have stitches there. But he wasn't concerned about that, or anything else right now beyond wiping that miserable look off of Klaus' face. The man looked drawn with worry, his features tense to the point of breaking with his agonized expression.

"Leo, sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

Klaus' voice was as strained as his face; quiet, as though he could break Leo if he spoke louder than a whisper. Leo forced another smile, as guilt and regret began to creep in from the corners of his mind. He tried downplaying it, like he always did. With a quiet huff that didn't quite pass for a laugh, he answered,

"Like I've been...hit by a truck."

Klaus' pained expression didn't change, and Leo knew at once that his attempt to be lighthearted had failed.

"Does it hurt terribly?" Klaus asked, a step below frantic. "They told us that you were prescribed very strong pain medication, but if it's not enough I can call the nurse."

"I'm ok," Leo insisted, "just feel really heavy and…worn out. I'm not in pain at all. The meds are doing their job, relax."

The big man seemed to droop in relief, and nodded, mustering up a tiny glimmer of a smile. Leo flexed his fingers, stroking them along Klaus' hand a few times, and the man replied in kind with his own. Leo swallowed, and as though he had tuned in to his every action, Klaus asked,

"Would you like some water? The nurse left us a pitcher; she said your mouth would be very dry after surgery."

"Surgery?" Leo mumbled, confused. "Am I hurt that bad?"

Klaus poured the water from the pitcher into a cup, unwrapping one of the straws. It was clear he was stalling. But he finally answered,

"You had internal bleeding from a broken rib, and your arm was broken as well. Your eyelids were both slightly burned, but the right one was also clipped by debris in the crash."

Leo attempted to raise his unmarred eyebrow at the list of issues Klaus named. Due to whatever drugs they were pumping through his system, and blocking his pain receptors, it didn't seem possible for him to have that many serious injuries.

"Anything else?" Leo asked, parting his lips for the straw that Klaus offered him, and sipping thankfully at the cold water.

"There's a wound on your head, and no account for your bruises or scratches, either from before the crash or during. Your lip was split open too, so be careful drinking."

"Thanks."

After gulping down a few mouthfuls of water, Leo sighed and leaned his head back, trying to take in all he'd just been told. Klaus lingered with the cup for a moment, but when Leo showed no signs of wanting more, he placed it on the tray. When Klaus looked at him again, Leo felt an overwhelming flood of feelings pour over him, rushing back from where they'd been tucked away during his sleep. He felt like he'd been broiling in his own idiocy for days, only to be sucked up into a whirlwind that knocked sense back into him. It hurt, and Leo gave a small grimace as he realized what he had to do. What he'd decided he was going to the moment he woke up in that van.

"It's ok, Klaus…" He softly. "You can say 'I told you so' anytime now…I won't hate you for it."

Klaus looked horrified, his green eyes widening into shock. He instantly shook his head, vehemently, and came in close to huddle over Leo's bed. The young man felt oddly comforted by being closed in like that with the width of his lover's body arching over him. That couldn't stop tears from welling up in his eyes, though Klaus tried his best.

"Oh no, no, no, Leo, I was thinking nothing of the sort! I'm just so glad that you're safe!"

The sincerity in Klaus' voice only made Leo have to fight harder to keep from weeping. He felt an echo of distant pain from where his facial contortions tugged at his stitches. Klaus' big hands lightly touched Leo's cheek and his arm, shaking with the urge to hold tight, stroke firmly, but he wouldn't let himself risk it for fear of hurting him. Instead, his fingers drifted up and down Leo's arms, his shoulders, into his hair, trying to touch as much of him as possible without hurting him. It warmed Leo's heart. He wondered what he'd done to deserve such a dedicated partner.

Klaus kissed Leo's forehead a few times in succession before resting his own forehead there. Warmth from his skin seeped into Leo's, and he gazed down into Leo's one open eye, pleading,

"My sweet, darling boy, I'd _never_ bring up our disagreement because this happened, you have to think better of me than that…"

A miserable, sniffling sound came from Leo, and he choked a bit over his next statement,

"But…you were right…all along, you were right." Klaus shushed him as loudly as he could, but Leo kept talking, voice ragged and filled with tears. "I'm sorry, Klaus, I'm so sorry I put you through this…it's my fault…I should've just said that from the beginning."

Those words seemed to snap something inside of Klaus, and he cupped Leo's head in both of his hands, forcing their gazes to meet.

"What happened today is _no one's_ fault, Leonardo, least of all yours."

"Not just today," Leo grated out, "I mean all of it; the fight, being stubborn, avoiding you…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."

Leo had been doing a fairly good job keeping his tears contained. Now, however, they began bursting from him along with rough, ugly stutters of sound. The force of them caused the pain of his patched-up ribs to cut through the IV drip, and Leo gasped. Without thinking, he lifted his bandaged hand to rest over his side, wincing and groaning a bit.

"Calm down, Leo," Klaus told him, sounding apologetic but insistent, "Drugs or not, your injuries are severe and fresh. Just breathe, love…try to relax so you don't hurt yourself, alright? Please, Leo…deep breaths…"

Leo gulped and tried very hard to breathe slowly, releasing long streams of audible breaths from his lips. As he began this pattern of breathing, Klaus stroked his face more firmly, along his jawline where there wasn't as much bruising, and planted gentle kisses there too.

"I'm sorry too, Leo." Klaus said, his voice urgent and sincere. "I should never have become angry and distant, not with you. I said some very unkind things that I never should have. I know that I hurt you, and I'm deeply regretful and ashamed. I promise you, that from here on out, I'll do everything I can to make up for it. So please…will you forgive me, Leo?"

Leo made a low, garbled sound when he heard his lover's apology. He squeezed Klaus' hand again.

"Stupid idiot…of course I forgive you! But…can you forgive me? I…I don't even know if I'll be able to forgive myself for making you worry so much…"

"Nonsense." Klaus said at once, stroking his hand over Leo's curls and making Leo close his eye as he relished the touch. "I'll always forgive you, Leo, always, sweetheart."

"B-but…today…"

"Was _not_ your fault." Klaus reiterated firmly. "I saw how they took you; they didn't give you any time to make a decision to fight them, one way or the other."

"You saw?" Leo asked, wiping carefully at his nose and looking confused. "How?"

Klaus slowly re-seated himself in the chair by the bed, pulling it as close as he could and draping one arm above Leo's head on the pillow, fingers finding their way back into the mound of curls there. Leo seemed to be calming down, and Klaus wanted to do everything he could to reassure him and keep him quiet and still. Leo turned his head on the pillow, nudging closer to Klaus' presence and the doting of his large hand.

"When we realized you were missing," Klaus told him softly, "we pulled up the security cameras from around the restaurant. My heart nearly stopped when I saw them attack you."

Leo closed his eye, embarrassed.

"I…I should've been paying more attention." He muttered. "I should've been more careful, like you're always telling me."

"I doubt that would have stopped them. They most likely would've ambushed you when you were leaving if they hadn't caught you before. Besides," Klaus tugged mischievously at a lock of chocolate-brown hair, "from what we gathered, you didn't remain their docile prisoner, now, did you?"

Leo's bright blue eye opened a little wider at the almost teasing question, and he slowly felt a smile turning up the corners of his mouth.

"Well…I wasn't just going to roll over and let them get away with it."

Klaus grinned at Leo's words, and Leo smiled too, despite how Klaus' eyes flickered worriedly to his bottom lip. Disregarding it, Leo sniffed a few times, feeling his mood shift into triumph at the reminder.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Klaus asked. "We've only seen the footage of the crash, but we know nothing else."

Leo licked his dry, wounded lip slightly before answering.

"To be honest, Klaus…I just barely got out of this one. I woke up in that van, and heard them all talking before I started to move. If I hadn't, I don't think I would've made it out. Apparently, whoever hired them to kidnap me ordered them not to give me any chance to use my eyes. I guess some maniac scientist was planning on keeping me unconscious, so she could study me without running the risk of me using my eyes to escape."

There was a small popping sound as Klaus' hand closed into a fist above Leo's head, knuckles protesting. Leo jumped a little at the familiar warning sound. Klaus couldn't hide his sneer as he ground his teeth together and his eyes went unfocused at the mere thought of anyone doing something like that to Leo. He'd left the criminals to Steven, but he might still have the opportunity to...

"Klaus?" Leo reached out his bandaged hand. "Please don't tell me you're wanting to go murder any of them."

Klaus seemed to diffuse at the words, slipping his hand over Leo's once more. His other hand uncurled and flexed, then revisited its task of playing with Leo's hair.

"No, darling. Justice has already been served for them. They're none of our concern any longer."

Leo shuddered.

"Can't say I'm complaining. They were way more competent than what I'm used to dealing with."

"You must've been so frightened." Klaus whispered, stroking his hand down the side of Leo's face and rubbing his thumb softly against the shell of his ear. Leo nodded at Klaus' assumption.

"I was scared out of my mind, but I knew I could take them all. I didn't move when I woke up, which gave me the upper hand since they didn't know I'd come to. So…I blinded them, and then after scrambling their vision, I…well, I crashed the van."

The big man shook his head, and a small huffing laugh came from him.

"You say that so casually."

"It wasn't as easy as all that," Leo amended, "not with two thugs in the back trying to get their hands on me despite their vision being all jumbled. Plus, once I took control of the van it was swerving all over the place and I had trouble staying focused because I hurt so much. I knew I didn't have the stamina to keep controlling everything for very long, that's why I took the quickest way out."

Klaus' palm cupped Leo's face.

"That was incredibly brave of you, Leonardo. Steven was right; you took the most intense route out of the situation because you had to, but did it with bravery and determination."

Leo raised his eyebrow in surprise.

" _Steven_ said that?"

"Well, his terminology was different." Klaus admitted with a grin. "His exact words were 'pretty badass'."

Leo couldn't stop the pride that sprang to his face, and continued growing.

"Oh yeah?"

Klaus nodded.

"He seemed very impressed, and I must admit, so am I; you've shown us before how capable you are, but this was unprecedented considering the circumstances. We were still scrambling to find you by the time you were safely here, in surgery. I wish we had been able to find you sooner, but we were just so happy when we found out you were alive."

"So was I." Leo joked. "But I'm glad you were here when I woke up. I probably would've freaked out a little if I was by myself."

"I don't know how I'm ever going to let you out of my sight again." Klaus said helplessly, leaning forward to kiss Leo's brow. "Despite how you've saved yourself this time."

Leo sighed.

"Well, if it will make you feel any better, I think I'll be using my eyes more often, from here on out." He conceded. "I want to avoid this happening to me ever again. And…well…I hated thinking about you worrying yourself to death trying to find me. I don't want to put you through that, either."

Klaus sat in silence for a few seconds, considering Leo's words.

"A week ago," Klaus said at length, "I would've been thrilled hearing you say that. But now…I don't want you to go entirely against your principles, especially if it will eat away at you. I thought in great detail about your point of view after our fight, and after all of this…I'm surprised that I'm not still begging you to defend yourself with your eyes even more strongly than before, but…I did hear you. I know your heart, and even now, I'm not convinced that you believe what you're saying."

Leo lowered his eye, swallowing a bit.

"I do, Klaus, believe me. I'm not completely at peace with it, but I'd rather use my power to keep you from worrying than to protect myself."

Klaus eyed him doubtfully.

"Leo…you're not just telling me what you think I want to hear, right?" Leo looked a little exasperated, and Klaus patted his hand. "I'm sorry, am I upsetting you?"

"No," Leo answered honestly, "I mean, not really. I'm just feeling a little like…we're back in that stalemate that got us so angry at each other. It's like we need to…to…"

"Compromise?" Klaus offered, very softly.

Leo looked back up at him, studied his face, and found no trace of manipulation or selfishness there. He then relaxed a little more, and nodded his head.

"At this point, Klaus, I'm willing to do anything. When I realized that there was a chance I might die, without apologizing to you...without telling you one more time how much I loved you...I knew I'd never be able to be as flippant with my safety. Because I want to be there for you, keep you happy...I can't do that when I'm beat up all the time..."

Leo sounded so tired suddenly, and Klaus stood up again, once more leaning his entire body over the small form on the bed. Leo's soft moaning sound was one Klaus recognized as a beckon to come nearer; Leo made it when he tried to burrow into Klaus as they cuddled, or when he was settling in on the big man's lap, or rolling over to meet him in the middle of their bed. It was a tiny, whimpering plea for Klaus to get as close to Leo as their bodies would possibly allow.

Klaus did what he could to oblige that request, sitting on the edge of the bed and pressing their foreheads together, while running his hands over Leo's arms and shoulders. They both wanted to embrace, tightly, and never let go, but knew that Leo's condition was too delicate. However, Klaus braved the possible backlash, and laid his mouth to Leo's carefully, trying to concentrate on the upper lip. Leo kissed back, his stitches bristling against Klaus' lip for the short life of the kiss.

"Leo…" Klaus said softly against his cheek. "I love you, so much."

A small sniffle came from above him, and Leo's voice sounded strained when he spoke.

"Love you too, Klaus. You know, you're going to make me want to cry again, stop it!"

Klaus grinned a little, and waited a moment or two before saying,

"I went over and over everything while I was waiting for you to wake up, and I may have an idea to keep our argument from reoccurring."

"Oh?" Leo asked, interested. "What is it?"

"I don't want to upset you if you don't agree." Klaus backpedaled, "I shouldn't keep you from resting."

Leo rolled his visible blue eye and pinned Klaus with a half-lidded, unimpressed stare.

"You don't need to patronize me at this point. Please, tell me your idea, then I'll rest. I don't think I'll be able to now, otherwise."

Klaus traced Leo's jawline before he sighed and nodded.

"Alright; if you had time, would you be willing to train with me?"

Leo looked taken aback, as though he had expected a much different suggestion than that. He didn't hesitate to answer,

"Of course I would, you know I would. But time has always been the problem."

"It wouldn't be, if…if you didn't work your extra job."

Klaus broke the idea as carefully as he could, bracing himself for Leo's reaction. The young man lay silently for a moment, thinking. Finally, he said, quietly,

"I wouldn't be able to send as much home to Michella."

"Leo, darling, please…" Klaus spoke very gently. "I understand the logic; you'd rather the extra money go to your sister than into your own savings, or doing without. It is exceptionally sweet and noble of you to do that for Michella. But, especially considering what you just told me, would it not be prudent to dedicate your time to learning self-defense, rather than a job you do not need? You were content sending Michella a portion of your Libra stipend before; there's no reason that previous amount should not be sufficient."

A small, harsh breath escaped Leo, and he closed his eye, tilting his head even further back into his soft pillow. He winced when he turned his head to rest on the bandaged side, facing away from Klaus.

"God…I don't know, Klaus…that's…that's so much money that I've been so happy sending home."

Klaus didn't respond, just let the silence stretch and give Leo space to think. A few minutes later, and Leo sounded ragged as he spoke,

"It's not like my parents don't both have jobs and money…but…I feel like I owe it to Michella. After…after what she's done…"

Leo swallowed the rest of his sentence as the tears threatened to return. Klaus felt his heart ache. He had suspected, but Leo had never before confirmed it. The significance of the admission was not lost on him, and he knew he had to tread carefully.

"Leo…money can't replace her eyesight." Klaus told him, softly.

The young man twitched a little at the words, and a small whimper slipped out. Klaus gripped Leo's hand as tight as he dared over the bandages.

"It's all I can do."

The helplessness in his voice, in the vain effort he was putting forth to amend a wrong that was not his responsibility, was enough to break Klaus' heart. He had been careless before in not factoring this in to Leo's behavior.

Klaus lifted Leo's wrapped hand to his face and kissed his fingers, above the bandage.

"I'm sorry, Leo...for bringing Michella up during our argument. I know I already apologized, but I feel that particular transgression requires its own apology. I was being selfish, wanting to keep you safe for my own sake more than yours, or even Michella's. I didn't realize your job was important to you in the sense that you were doing it for more than a monthly allowance. It means much more, doesn't it?"

Leo gave a small nod, still not looking at Klaus.

"I understand now, Leo, I do. However, if I were to share my opinion, I would remind you that it was no one's fault. When it comes down to it, Michella made her choice. I doubt she would want you to suffer on her behalf."

Leo grasped Klaus' hand a little tighter too.

"I know that." He said. "In my head, I know...but...it's not that simple for me, in my heart."

Klaus didn't answer. No answer was necessary. He let Leo lay quietly for a while, composing himself. The clock over the bed seemed to tick very loudly as they sat there in the quiet. Finally, Leo let out a cleansing breath and admitted,

"I'll have to think about quitting. I want to do it…I really do, but…"

"I'll give you whatever you need, Leo." Klaus assured him, earnestly. "I don't want you to feel pressured into making up your mind right now."

"No," Leo said, shaking his head, "It's ok. You're more patient and understanding with me than anything I could hope for in a partner. I know you'll help me make a decision, but…I can't think anymore right now, Klaus…I'm so tired…"

The bigger man shifted for a third time to stand over Leo's bed, kissing his curly hair and gently wiping the stray tears from the corner of his eye.

"I'll not ask you to think on it any more now. One last fact to consider, however; if you leave your part-time job, there's no reason it would have to be permanent. You could always find another one, or see if they'll rehire you once you've sufficiently grasped a solid defensive technique."

Leo slowly opened his eye as he considered Klaus' suggestion. Through the increasing drowsiness of his mind, he felt a strange sensation as though something were clicking into place, making sense. That option would work very well as a compromise...

"Huh…that is true…maybe they'd even let me take a leave of abse-"

The rest of Leo's sentence was lost in a yawn that crept up and forced his mouth open wide. Klaus winced in sympathy as he saw the flesh of Leo's lip stretching around his stitches, but Leo seemed too tired or too pumped with pain meds to notice.

"Rest now, sweetheart." Klaus told him softly. "Don't worry about anything else right now, just let it all fall away. I'll be here when you wake up."

Leo closed his eye, sighing, and as though he had been waiting for permission, relaxed entirely into the mattress. Another yawn made him stiffen a few seconds later, but then he settled down for good, whispering,

"Thanks, Klaus…"

Leo heard the rustling of clothing, the creak as Klaus sat back into the chair, and felt those fingers easing through his hair. Despite everything, Leo felt more content at this moment than he had in the past week, when he'd been so stressed about their fight. To think that it came to this, a kidnapping and hospitalization, for them to reconcile. It almost didn't matter right now; Klaus was holding his hand and petting his hair, and he was drifting down into the peacefulness of pure oblivion, where there was only quiet, and rest.

Oddly enough, there was no where else Leo would rather be.

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	5. Chapter 5

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Leo wiped his brow and bent over to try and catch his breath, his arms trembling with the effort of supporting his upper body on his knees. His legs also began to buckle a little under his slight weight. Nearly every muscle in his body was sore to some degree, though not as much now as when they'd first started these exercises. He'd jokingly said that recovering in the hospital hurt less than learning to spar with Klaus. Though, to be fair, he'd had access to pain killers while he was injured, but building up his muscles and wrestling against a giant of a man didn't come with such a luxury.

"Can we take a break?" Leo called. "I'm friggin' dying here!"

Klaus stood on the other end of a large room, shifting his feet over the fine hardwood. They'd cleared out one of the more sparsely-furnished rooms in Klaus' mansion, and had been using it as a gym for over three weeks. At first, Klaus had taken it very easy on Leo, considering that he had just come out of the hospital; designing him a lighter program to follow. As the days wore on, however, and Leo proved that he was in better health than ever thanks to the ingenuity of the Hellsalem's Lot medical system, he'd increased the difficulty level on everything they did. Leo hadn't minded the weights and strengthening exercises so much, as he'd been wanting to take time to define his muscles for a while. It was the hand-to-hand combat that he'd always been wary of, and he had good cause to when Klaus was his opponent. With almost anyone else, Leo could always fall back on the one and only fighting move he had in his arsenal: his head-slam. But that was definitely not an option with Klaus.

"Take a drink, catch your breath. Then we'll continue."

Leo leaned back up onto his feet and released a groaning complaint. He trotted over to his water bottle on the floor by the doorway, and snatched it up.

"You're a slave-driver, Klaus! Why do you think I never wanted to do this? I have no chance against you, and knowing that your 'holding back' is enough to put me this much out of breath is just depressing!"

Klaus watched Leo take a generous swig of water with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry, Leo. But you do know that the point is to learn technique, not to try and actually beat me, correct?"

Blue eyes glared at the large man, standing in his white tank top and black track pants, with barely a drop of sweat anywhere on him. Leo, on the other hand, already saw the beginnings of a wet patch in the middle of his own shirt. And under his arms. And down his back.

"That's not the point." Leo growled, tugging at the nozzle of the water bottle with his teeth. "You put a man in a competitive setting, he wants to win; plain and simple. Doesn't matter if it's just practice."

Klaus spread his arms helplessly, showing off his biceps and shoulders unintentionally, to which Leo's eyes went flat with jealous annoyance.

"There's nothing for it. I don't trust your training to anyone else, and just think; if you train against someone like me, then regular thugs on the street will seem like child's play."

Leo groaned in frustration, slumping his shoulders dramatically.

"If I can't even dislodge your foot or deflect your strikes properly, how am I ever going to take on Alterworldly attackers?"

"You are just beginning, Leo, give yourself time." Klaus advised. "You're still learning the basic framework of moves; once your body becomes familiar with them to the point where you can react without thinking, that's when improvement will begin."

"Yeah, I know…" Leo sighed, having heard this same sentiment in a million different iterations over the last three weeks.

"Your footwork has become excellent, your reaction time was exceptional from the beginning," Klaus went on, "it's just the strategy that you need to improve."

"I know!" Leo half-shouted, half-groaned. "Geeze, maybe I _should_ just use my eyes instead of worrying about any of this! I'm too much of a weakling to be a match for anyone!"

Leo had been struggling for the past few days, having learned just enough to know exactly what he did wrong every time it happened. In truth, he was doing much better than when he knew nothing at all, but Klaus had been hard pressed to find different ways of boosting Leo's morale. The rest of the team had gotten wind of their training sessions, and had taken to flooding him with advice and different fighting style suggestions as well, putting unintentional pressure on him to succeed. Except for Zapp, who had been poking fun at him in his usual subtle manner, which Klaus did his best to discourage when he was present, but could not prevent when he was not. Although Zapp did motivate Leo to learn how to crack a human skull in the crook of his arm, but Klaus refused to show him how.

Klaus did show him everything else that he needed to know to begin learning to how spar; a few martial arts forms, dozens of defensive moves, and a smattering of boxing and wrestling techniques as well. The problem was, Leo was so small that even the moves meant to disarm a larger opponent were proving difficult, as they did to anyone so fresh into the exercises. For once, Leo didn't find being pinned, restrained, or struggling against Klaus' massive strength a turn-on. Not when the goal was to improve his self-defense.

In short, Leo had started off optimistic and determined, but was now being worn down by the sheer workload involved in becoming a competent fighter. Klaus only allowed him one day every week without training, and while Leo knew that was the best route to go, he had reached a bit of a breaking point.

"Do you need to stop for the day?" Klaus asked softly, after Leo's small outburst. "If you've had enough, it might be better to rest your mind and body, and regroup tomorrow."

Leo shook his head.

"I won't improve if I just quit when it gets hard. But I can't improve if I just keep getting upset either, damn it!"

Rubbing his face, Leo turned away from Klaus, and took another sip of water. He heard Klaus take a step or two closer, then stop when Leo made another angry sound. Leo sensed that his lover was at his wit's end trying to make him feel better, and he knew he wasn't making things any easier.

"Every fighter has been through a discouraging phase in their training." Klaus said, keeping his tone at the quiet level he always used to keep Leo calm. "Even those experienced like Steven and I meet with obstacles. I cannot stress enough how all of this will pay off, if only you can find the determination to stay with the program, stay with me, and I'll help you grow stronger."

Leo had known the pep talk was coming, had waited for it, and when it was finished, he let himself go still. He didn't want to keep fighting. He was tired, sore, and ready to be done for the day. He also couldn't leave this room without feeling as though he'd accomplished more than just adding to the list of reasons why he was incompetent. When Klaus fell silent, Leo didn't turn to answer him. Instead, his shoulders shook a bit and he slowly sunk down to one knee, covering his face with a hand and dropping his water bottle from the other.

"Leo, are you alright?" Klaus asked, concerned. The man immediately came to him, walking briskly as he saw the signs of his lover's breakdown.

As he reached out to grasp Leo's shoulder, the smaller man moved suddenly. His hands shot out and seized Klaus' extended wrist, and he performed a quick action that required a loud grunt of effort. The next second, Klaus was thrown headfirst over Leo's shoulder, his own momentum carrying his weight rather than Leo's small frame. He landed flat on his back, and Leo didn't waste any time restraining Klaus' arm by shoving his foot down onto one of his shoulders and pulling it back against his chest without even rising off his knee. Green eyes blinked in shock, and stared up at nothing for a second before focusing, upside-down, on Leo's face. Leo was breathing heavily from the exertion, and his own blue eyes opened wide as he took in his victory with disbelief.

Klaus was no dimwit; he deduced what had happened at once, and the surprise on his face melted into slight chiding as he lay there.

"Well done, Leo. But was playing dirty really necessary? I thought you were genuinely distressed."

Leo almost beamed as he planted his foot a bit harder and smirked. His voice dripped with satisfaction.

"This is a dirty city; have to use every advantage, every weakness. In your case, that's me, when I'm hurting or sad. You couldn't expect me not to use that against you at least once, come on! I haven't had a decent shot at you yet, and nothing else was working. So I had to get creative."

He could almost hear Klaus' mental tutting as the man shook his head and closed his eyes for a second.

"I can't deny any of those claims. Congratulations on your first win, even if it wasn't quite a fair match."

Leo scoffed.

"Me, up against you? That's anything but fair if you ask me, isn't that the point? Doesn't matter, I'm just going to enjoy this."

"I'm thrilled that your ego has been given a boost," Klaus said sweetly, before his tone took on an edge that made Leo wary, "but you forgot my other arm."

Without letting Leo contemplate that for even a split-second, Klaus rolled, swinging his free arm upwards and catching Leo by the back of his neck. Leo yelped, and tried to use his feet and legs to push Klaus away, but the man just had too many pounds and too many years of experience on him. It only took a few more seconds of scuffling before Klaus had Leo immobile atop him, his own muscled legs wrapped over Leo's to pin them to the floor, same as his arms. Leo was now spread-eagled atop Klaus, held down over his body like he was a second article of clothing.

"Damnit, Klaus!" Leo cried, infuriated. "Why couldn't you let me savor the one bit of success I had!?"

"I think you gloated long enough." Klaus responded, sounding far too cheerful and not out of breath at all. "Besides, I can play dirty too."

Leo huffed and fruitlessly tugged on all his limbs at once, writhing atop Klaus to no result. The man might as well have been a mattress, his frame spread out around and beneath Leo so much, but he was hard with muscle and not nearly as comfortable to lie on. When Leo kept squirming, Klaus easily flipped them over, flattening Leo on his front now, cheek pressed to the cool wooden floor. Another round of grunting and struggling followed, with Leo being certain that Klaus wasn't even using his full weight to pin him there, despite his captive state.

While Klaus had him pinned there, he drew in a deep breath through his nose, near Leo's neck. It prickled the small hairs there at once, making Leo shiver.

"I can smell your bodywash." Klaus told him. Leo struggled against the wave of need that struck him at those words, and griped,

"It's sweating off, it has to be, after all our training."

A low growling sound rumbled out from Klaus' throat, and he buried his nose into Leo's mop of curls. The young man gasped, jerking a little as he felt the larger man's hips slowly grinding down onto his backside.

"I think you smell like determination and effort…hmm…you feel good like this, too."

Leo's brain struggled to stay on track, and he tugged at his wrists, demanding,

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

He could practically hear the evil grin of Klaus' fanged mouth as he answered, slow and assured,

"I told you; playing dirty."

Lips began kissing along the back of Leo's neck, and he instantly quivered at the sensation.

"You can't be serious, we're in the middle of the house, and..."

Leo's protest faded when Klaus' large hand left one of his wrists and instantly clamped down on his slender hip, holding Leo more firmly as Klaus continued grinding against him. The hard length of Klaus' interest was unmistakable, and it made Leo's mouth water just thinking about it.

"Did you…" Leo ventured, breathy and curious. "Did you get turned on because I threw you?"

"God, yes…" Klaus admitted, mouthing at Leo's bare shoulder and even tugging at the strap of his tank top with his teeth. "I'm as surprised as you are, but…it was quite exciting, seeing you like that."

"Seriously!?" Leo asked in disbelief, arching up as best he could when Klaus nibbled at his nape.

"You heard me."

Klaus said shortly, and let go of Leo enough to reposition both of his arms stretched out above his head, held down by one of Klaus' hands. The other reached beneath Leo to palm at his chest, down his waist, his hand wide enough to span across the width of Leo's torso. He drew in a sharp breath as his body responded to the unexpected turn of events. The only struggling he did now was for show, his limbs turning to water as strong fingertips teased him through his gym shorts.

To be fair, it had been so long...

While recovering in the hospital, Leo had been plagued by the fantasy of Klaus getting him off right there in his room, since his right arm was broken and he couldn't tend to it himself. He'd even plucked up enough courage to tease Klaus about the idea, but the big man had blushed and told him that it just wasn't an appropriate place or time. Even once Klaus had taken him home, the man was hesitant to do more than relieve Leo with his hand or mouth rather than full-on lovemaking. To say nothing of his hesitancy to let Leo reciprocate, so Leo hadn't tried to rush it.

Then they had begun training, and as invigorating as it had been, Leo found himself tired out after every session. With Leo no longer working his delivery job, they practiced every day but Sunday. This meant Leo had not been up for focusing on their love life beyond wrapping up in Klaus' arms and being tired and happy at the end of each day. While that was tender and sweet and comforting, the more carnal side of their intimacy had been neglected a bit.

It seemed, however, like that was about to change. Right here, right now.

"I'm so proud to see you improving, Leo." Klaus nearly purred into Leo's ear as he caressed his hardness. "You fairly glowed when you pinned me down. But, to be honest…I like you the best when you're fully surrendered."

"W-what makes you think I'm…surrendered?" Leo played along in a timid voice.

Klaus firmly rolled him over onto his back, pressing his hips down against Leo's in the same motion to keep him there. Leo gasped as Klaus' arousal was thrust down against his own.

"I don't see you trying to escape."

When Leo opened his mouth to argue, Klaus smashed their lips together, pressing Leo's head back onto the floor as he kissed him deeply. Those full lips were hot and slick, an even slicker tongue poking out to tangle with Leo's when he opened wider to moan. That broad hand was back, now joined by the other as Klaus released Leo's arms entirely and began stroking over his body. Leo's brain didn't register that he was free right away, but when it did, he dropped his arms at once to wrap around Klaus' neck. He melted easily into Klaus' body as the man tugged his hips up and ground them together with a desperation that Leo had rarely felt from his lover before.

"I give up, I give up…" Leo chanted in a breathy voice when they tore their mouths apart, and his fingers dug into Klaus' biceps. "I surrender, already…but…we can't…in here…"

Klaus looked like he hadn't heard the protest for a moment, as he continued to thrust his hips forward against Leo's. When it did register, Klaus hauled Leo right up and put him over his shoulder as he stood up, marching them out of their modified gym. Leo clung on, gasping and feeling the thrill he always experienced when Klaus manhandled him.

"God, Klaus, you haven't tossed me around like this since I've been home. I've really missed it."

The floor nearly thundered with Klaus' heavy footsteps as he tramped through the hallway, into the foyer, and up the massive staircase.

"I've been too frightened of hurting you. But I've seen how you perform during your training lately, and after what you did just now..."

He didn't have to finish his statement, Leo knew what he meant. After all this time, Klaus was finally certain that Leo's body was sound enough, that he couldn't be so easily hurt now, and that meant he could ravish him without restraint. Leo excitedly began nuzzling at Klaus' neck, biting at his earlobe, and sucking there loudly as his entire body was rocked this way and that from the man's long strides.

When they reached the bedroom, Klaus stepped inside and immediately pressed Leo up against the door to close it, seizing the back of his curly head and pulling him up for a heated kiss that nearly left him breathless.

"Get these off me..." Leo gasped, tugging at his tank top and the waistband of his shorts at the same time, as though the clothing burned him. "I'm hot…"

Klaus ripped the tank top up and over Leo's head, raking the fingers of one hand down his bare chest before lifting him away from the door and carrying him to their bed. He threw Leo down onto the mattress, all gentleness gone in his assurance that Leo could take it, and Leo began stripping off his remaining garments. Klaus did the same, and when they crashed back together in the middle of the mattress it was all heat, and skin, and burning desire as they kissed and writhed in their desperation to consume each other.

"Leo, I want you this very moment." Klaus groaned a mere handful of seconds later. "I can't wait."

The smaller man bucked against him, grinding his lower body up against his lover's to show his agreement, letting out a whining plea. That was all the permission Klaus needed to retrieve the bottle from the nightstand on his side, and then spill a great deal of lubricant on his fingers in his haste to pour it out. Leo faced away from him, propping himself on his elbows and presenting himself shamelessly for Klaus' preparation.

"Please, please…" Leo begged quietly, feeling how red his face went at the words.

Klaus' free hand cupped his lower back, then slid down farther. At the first touch of slick fingers, Leo sighed and leaned back even further. It had been so long, and he wanted it more than he'd wanted it ever before. It took time, even though they were both impatient and aching with need. Klaus made sure that Leo was ready and open, his body having tightened over time. By the end, Leo was moaning and rocking back against Klaus' hand as two of his huge fingers thrust in and out of him, striking his pleasure center nearly every time.

"You're ready for me." Klaus mumbled sweetly, his breath hot against Leo's lower back, where he'd been laving his tongue and giving suckling kisses to make Leo shudder even harder.

Leo only whimpered, feeling himself dripping onto the sheets with anticipation. He felt the mattress shift as Klaus positioned his huge body behind him. The touch of him at Leo's entrance seemed to light him like a live wire, and he gasped loudly, waiting. Klaus still took his time, sinking in very slowly to be sure Leo would not be in any pain. He couldn't spare Leo discomfort completely, but Leo was so worked up, and his body so charged with sexual tension that it hardly mattered to him. He had never arrived here, at this level of desperation, with so little foreplay.

"Oh, Klaus…yes…god, yes…"

Klaus let out a moan of pure enjoyment as he sheathed himself as far as he'd ever be able to within Leo's small body, and began to move his hips. The lubricant made the way easier, as always, and Leo loved how Klaus filled all the space inside him that he could possibly manage, spearing him over and over with his length while Leo slowly began to lose his mind. The feel of hot flesh moving inside of him, rubbing against his inner walls, hammering in the most delicious way against that spot that felt like heaven…it was wonderful.

"I have to…I have to…" Leo babbled, reaching down to stroke his own cock as the pleasure coursed through him. He might have been able to come with just Klaus inside him, but it always felt better to have both joys at once.

"Yes," Klaus answered breathlessly, "put your mended arm to good use…does it feel good to have your own hand back?"

"Mm-Hm…" Leo groaned an affirmative into his forearm, where he rested his head. "Feels so good…"

Klaus' chest nearly burned Leo as he leaned over his back and ran his huge hands over Leo's chest, flicking his nipples and then soothing them with light circles. Then he cradled Leo's sides, his thumbs merely a few inches from meeting across Leo's back.

Time vanished as they shared uncounted moments like this, heat and sensation, pleas and groans, words that sometimes made sense, and sometimes were nonsense. Touches, kisses, thrusting and stilling, loving…until neither of them could contain their joy any longer.

Leo began a moaning chant when he was close, and Klaus read his signs at once, clutching him tighter and slowing his thrusts. Leo liked it when he slowed down, while his own hand moved more rapidly on his cock. The combination they'd found together over all these months worked like magic for Leo, and he finally came with a series of loud and fluttery breaths. He wrung out a few more waves of pleasure from himself as Klaus gave him a few sharper thrusts against his prostate, and he saw stars, going lightheaded at once.

"Oh shit…I'm…" Leo breathed, chuckling a little with happiness and pleasure.

"Are you alright?" Klaus grated out, sounding raw and close himself. Leo merely nodded, and weakly nudged his hips back, encouraging Klaus to keep going. The man did so, his breathing going more ragged and speedy than before.

Leo listened with a grin, little sounds still trickling out of him as Klaus' hardness hammered the last ounces of pleasure it could from his spent body. Until at last, the big man gave a stuttering moan, and pulled out at the last second, splashing Leo's thighs with the fiery evidence of his completion.

They fell down onto the mattress side-by-side, breathing sharply and feeling hot enough to set the sheets ablaze.

"Wow…" Leo breathed after a few seconds. "Why…why have we waited…so long to do that again?"

Klaus offered a laugh through his panting, and shook his head next to Leo's shoulder.

"Foolishness…I imagine."

"God…I feel so good right now…" Leo said dreamily. "I don't even care."

Klaus only sighed in agreement. After a handful of minutes spent stroking each other and pecking kisses against cheeks and lips, Leo spoke again.

"I, uh…need a shower. I'm kind of disgusting…I was disgusting before we even did that."

A reproachful look came over Klaus' face, and he leaned up on one elbow to direct it down at Leo.

"We were only a bit sweaty, and trust me, you've smelled much worse before. It would take a lot more than that to keep me from ravishing you."

Leo rolled his eyes.

"As endearing as you're trying to make that sound, I'm still gross after all that. I'm going to shower."

"Let me join you?" Klaus asked, leaning down to rub his nose against Leo's. He pulled back playfully.

"You'd better if you want me to cuddle up to you afterwards; I want to lie around, relax, and watch something with you for the rest of the night. I think I've earned it."

"So you have, my darling boy." Klaus murmured. "Nothing has been harder won."

Leo felt his heart swell to the bursting point as he realized the deeper meaning to what Klaus had said, and he bit his lip bashfully, smiling. He forced himself to mutter the words that leapt to his mind, knowing if he didn't say them, he'd always wish he had.

"Nothing else has been so worth it."

Klaus beamed at him, cupped his face gently, and pressed their foreheads together. With that, it felt as though they had wiped the slate clean. An intangible truth settled around them both; they would always make it through together. Whatever obstacles this crazy city threw at them, whatever challenges they created for themselves, they would emerge stronger for the struggle. Neither of them needed to say it aloud, but they both felt it, here and now, between them.

"Leo, sweetheart...I absolutely love you."

As Klaus kissed him once more, soft, slow, and tender, Leo's eyes slipped closed, hiding away the glow of his blue orbs. The glow of redness on his face, however, only spread as he pulled back to respond against Klaus' mouth,

"Yeah…love you too."

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THE END ;) Check out the male or female podfics of this story if you liked it, links at the very beginning of chapter 1!

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